JDubb's Sideline Report

There aren’t many programs that a coach can walk into and have instant success, but there are a few. The University of Florida happens to be one of the them. The state is in the top 5 nationally when it comes to fertile recruiting, especially south Florida. But you can have great players and still be a mediocre program if  you have the wrong coach. My point is that the gators have not been who they really are since The Ole Ball Coach aka Steve Spurrier left town. Ok, Urban Meyer had some great seasons there with Tebow and company, but he didn’t stay around long enough to be considered in the same conversation as Spurrier. And let’s not forgot the entire Muschamp/McElwain experience in Gainesville.  Whatever pride this proud program had at one time has left Gainesville.

The resurgence could make a comeback with the hiring of Dan Mullen, a former gator man himself under the wings of Urban Meyer, help lead an offense to a couple national championships and sec titles. Mullen’s offense is fun to watch, as you remember with Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott, Mullen coached both of these boys and lead them to stardom. What Mullen most now do is resurrect a once dominant program back to relevance and bring the Gators back to their former glory and into a new era. To do this though, he must win the SEC EAST, and it won’t be an easy feat with Georgia, South Carolina, and eventually Tennessee back. Mullen will also have to find a quarterback who fits his offense. He has a nice stock to consider:

Feleipe Franks (RS) – The redshirt freshman played in 11 games last season and started 8 of them.  At 6’5, Franks has the body type to be a force, but he struggled with consistency last season.  He threw for 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, so you see there are areas that needs improvement. But he’s got an arm that go the distance. Under Mullen’s guidance with the spread system, Franks has the tools to become a very good quarterback but he’s got to work on his accuracy.

Kyle Trask (RS) – Trask missed the 2017 season due to a foot injury, but had a great spring and looked sharp in the annual spring game. Mullen likes Trask decision making and ball-handling. Something Franks struggled with all last season. Trask doesn’t have the 4-5 star status like Emory Jones or Feleipe Franks, but he’s on the gator roster because he’s a great football player. He’s a student of the game and fierce competitor. The challenge for him is that can he adjust to the spread coming from a pro-style system?

Emory Jones (FR) –  The 4-star prospect chose Florida over Ohio State and Alabama and was the fourth ranked dual-threat QB coming out of high school. Jones has the ideal athleticism for Mullen’s spread offense and has showcased it through the Spring. Jones played sparingly during the gators Spring game but connected for a touchdown to RJ Raymond and also looked good in his short passing game. If Jones can pickup the playbook quick, look for him to compete for some playing time this Fall.

Whoever wins the starting job at Florida, it will depend on how quick they learn Mullen’s spread system. Also, how will they do up against the growing SEC East. The division is starting to come back strong- Kirby Smart is one play away from winning a national title. Will Muschamp will be in his third season at South Carolina and is really recruiting well. And you know Jeremy Pruitt will finally make UT a contender. Needless to say, the gators will literally have to come prepared for a fight if they want to contend in the east. With all that said, gator fans should be excited with Dan Mullen as the new head man. He is an offensive guru and with his recent success at Mississippi St and previous stint at UF, he has the game plan to make Florida great again.

Since 2008, the University of Tennessee’s football team has the following record: 62 wins, 63 losses. Would you like to guess what there record was from 1993-2007? 143 wins, 45 losses. So why in the wide world of sports have they dropped so far since 2008? Well, they got rid of their best coach since Johnny Majors- Philip Fulmer. There was a lot of people in Knoxville that loved Phillip Fulmer and I never understood why they canned the man who took them to SEC championships,  who helped them win a National Championship, and help bring in one of best quarterbacks ever- Peyton Manning. Maybe Rocky Top got bored with Fulmer, but his three successor’s were even more boring because they couldn’t match anything close to what Philip Fulmer did. Here is the who and what of the coaching tree that followed coach Fulmer:

1. Lane Kiffin (2009) – Ok, let’s hire someone from the pro’s that had no success but we think he is a good fit at Knoxville…Wrong! Kiffin won 7 games but high-tailed it for greener pasture(USC) after one season! He just didn’t burn his bridges at Tennessee, he destroyed them! Now he is the name that you do not name in Knoxville. BTW, his success at USC was so good, that his boss fired him right when he got off the bus. Nice job, Tennessee.
2. Derek Dooley (2010-2012) – Was it because of his last name that intrigued you? Was it because he was a Saban disciple and you think Saban was just going to rub all over Dooley? Or was it because he had semi-success at Louisiana Tech? I’m not sure but it was a complete flop.
3. Butch Jones (2013-2017) – This man had the potential to do great things at UT, but he had a hard time keeping players from getting into trouble and transferring. In a way, he was very similar to Mark Richt- losing some games that would make you shake your head, especially with the talent he had after a couple of seasons. Butch Jones had a winning record at UT(34-27), but with all the hype leading to last season, he could not win the games that mattered and it cost him.

However, I foresee brighter days in the smokey mountains. I can hear Rocky Top being played more often on Saturday’s in the Fall. I have established this new found faith due to the school hiring Jeremy Pruitt. A man who has a gritty, tough nose defensive scheme that will make the Volunteers a contender again. The Rainsville, Alabama native knows football. His father has been coaching for a long time and Jeremy played for him at Plainville. He has coached at Alabama, FSU, and Georgia. The man knows football and he is a proven winner. I like this hire for another reason: his attitude. The man doesn’t take any shortcuts and expects perfection. Check out these quotes about one of his first practices this Spring-“One thing I did notice out there today, we had a lot of guys who after two days off didn’t respond the right way, and we’ve got to fix that,” Pruitt said. “We need to be having spring practice every day, we need to have 30 of them, but we only get 15.” ” I’m coming of the field and I’m ticked off, and I don’t know if it’s because the way the whole team practiced or because the offense kicked their tail,” Pruitt said. Needless to say, Pruitt doesn’t need much help motivating his players. This may not be the home run hire some in Knoxville were praying for, but I assure you,  it’s the right higher. The Volunteer faithful need to be patient. The school, athletic board, boosters, all of them better give coach Pruitt time to build the Volunteers in to a respectable program, or they will be back to square one, again.

After all the dust settled on the 2017, Alabama was named the 2017 National Championship. They survived the four-team playoff gauntlet- beating both Clemson and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and National Championship game. That settles it, right? Well in the words of Lee Corso ” Not so fast my friend”. We had an undefeated team in 2017- Central Florida. The American Conference Champions dubbed themselves as National Champions as well. Should UCF been in the playoff? You can make an argument for both sides both you cannot deny that they came out unscathed this past season. They beat a very good Auburn team who also beat ALABAMA! There lies the issue at hand. We still aren’t getting #1 right.

As you remember, before the 4-team playoff, we had the BCS(Bowl Championship Series). It was not a perfect system but it was light years better than what we had before-which was nothing! It was very rare when #1 vs. #2 played each other for the National Title at a bowl. There were times when you had teams tie for first place : one example was the 1990 season where Colorado was named #1 in the coaches poll but Georgia Tech was named #1 in the UPI poll. In 1997, Michigan was #1 but so was Nebraska. The BCS was made to clear this up, yet it just brought more controversy. One example was the 2004 season. USC played Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship. The Trojans came out victorious. However, another perfect run was made by the Auburn Tigers who looked dominant during their great run but did not play in the National Title game. Yes, the sooners and trojans were undefeated as well but Auburn clearly had the tougher schedule.

Currently, the Playoff Committee looks at the following key factors for determining who gets in:

-Strength of schedule

-Style points

-Head-to-Head competition

-Conference champions won

-Comparative of common opponents

-Other relevant factors such as key injuries that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.

I believe the playoff system is a step forward in the right direction. However, eventually it will need to expand to either 6-8 teams. Obviously there are going to be teams that are going to be left out but I think you can eliminate the end of the season drama (ala UCF) with this expansion because you’re not going to have 6- 8 teams with near perfect records. UCF clearly caught the perfect storm this season and they should be proud, but would they really stand a shot against Alabama or Georgia or Clemson or Oklahoma? It’s up for debate, but if were truly going to get this right, then we need to be clear on how we crown a champion without any loose ends.

If you keep up with recruiting like yours truly, then you know that there are several sources out there to get your information from. Websites like Rivals, 247 Sports, and ESPN each use a star or number system to rate each high school player in the nation. However, each source is not created equal and you really have to compare/contrast the outlets to find out about the next Deshaun Watson. But what if the next Deshaun Watson is really just another Ryan Perrilloux- a dual-threat QB who had an outstanding high school career, couldn’t find much playing time at LSU and later finished his college time at Jacksonville St.  The point is that both Watson and Perrilloux were highly rated players coming out of high school, but only one of them really panned out. Here I will show you were the recruiting guru’s got it right, wrong, and totally missed a gem.

The Good

Calvin Johnson– Class of 2004. 4 Stars. Way back in 2004, there was an up and coming freshman by the name of “Calvin Johnson”. Johnson was rated a 4-star prospect per Rivals at the time. Yet, if you checked out his profile on Scout( which is now apart of 247Sports), he was rated a 5-star prospect. Now, Johnson was probably a 4-star on Rivals due to the fact he committed to Georgia Tech. If he committed to a school like FSU, Miami, or USC, a big factory school, he would had no doubt been a 5-star all across the board. History proved that Calvin Johnson not only was a great player, but he went on to have a very successful collegiate and pro career and will no doubt be in the NFL Hall of Fame when his time comes.

The Bad

Mitch Mustain – Class of 2006 – 5 stars. This name might ring a bell or two for you. In 2006, there were two Quarterbacks at the top of the high school recruiting rankings: Matthew Stafford and Mitch Mustain. Mustain was a Arkansas native who lit the record books up in Sprindale. After he committed to Arkansas, the thought was that his resume alone would win him the starting job. Sadly, he couldn’t beat out Casey Dick, even though Mustain won 7 games for the Razorbacks. Mustain saw the writing on the wall and transferred to USC in 2007. However, history repeated itself for Mustain as he couldn’t beat out another quarterback, this time Mark Sanchez. Mustain finished with just 505 yards and three touchdowns at USC.

Diamond in the Rough

Tom Brady – Class of 1996 – No stars. This individual needs no introduction. When his career is over, Tom Brady will most likely be recognized as one of the greatest Quarterbacks of all time. But he would have to earn that title. When Brady walked onto Ann Arbor, he was seventh on the depth chart…seventh! At one point, Brady was so frustrated with not getting any playing time, he hired a sports psychologist to help him get through that season of his life. Yet, Brady didn’t give up. He was just biding his time. He knew he had what it took. In 1998, Brady’s time finally came. He set Michigan records for most pass attempts and completions in a season. Brady won 20/25 games as the Wolverine starter. And as of this year, 2018, he has five super bowl rings. Clearly, Brady was under the radar coming out of high school.

In short, recruiting rankings can tell us what they think about a players attributes, but they aren’t fortune tellers. They can’t read the stars or see into the future. They can only give us their opinion on what they think how Jon Doe will do in college. Don’t get me wrong, these scouts do their homework- they have a keen eye for the most part and can get it right about a kid a lot of the time. But don’t put all of your stock into what they say, wait until they see the 90,000 fans in the stands- wait until they get that first hit that takes them to the ground. Wait until they climb the depth chart and take a team to a championship.

1. Christian Wilkins – DL, Clemson
2. Bryce Love – RB, Stanford
3. Nick Bosa – DE, Ohio St.
4. Ed Oliver – DL, Houston
5. McKenzie Milton – QB, UCF
6. Jonathan Taylor – RB, Wisconsin
7. Clelin Ferrell – DE, Clemson
8. Tua Tagovailoa – QB, Alabama
9. Jake Fromm – QB, Georgia
10. Trace McSorley – QB, Penn State

Championships aren’t won on the field, they’re won on the recruiting trail! College Football recruiting has changed DRAMATICALLY over the past decade, becoming more like the NFL Draft- where 17-18 year high school football players decide where they are going to play football for the next four years of their life. They will come on ESPN, Fox Sports, or a local news organization to tell the world who they will be suiting up for. Yes, there’s a lot of spotlights, red carpet, live tv….big deal type of stuff that goes on during National Signing Day. But make no mistake, IT IS A BIG DEAL!

Here are the top reasons why recruiting is so important:

1. Losing guys to graduation/NFL- Those four years go by quick. Sometimes they jump early. You have to keep an eye on the future or you will be left behind.
2. Gotta fill spots- Losing key positions will happen but that’s why you recruit. Depth people!
3. Championships baby- You singed that blue chip QB for a reason. He was recruited by everyone for a reason. Now go win the Natty!
4. Great players = great exposure- It goes without saying. These 5 star cats know that all eyes will be on them on Saturday’s and they want to play somewhere where they have the entire world’s attention.
5. Money- You have to please to the boosters. You must rally the alumni. It’s so important (yet tedious). They’re your life blood to your program and the recruiting effort. They bring in the bling!
6. Facilities- It’s the first thing these players see when they come for a visit. From the locker rooms to the gym, you want them to have everything they need to be successful. Yet, some schools are just bigger. Some schools have more money. Are facilities the most important thing to a recruit? Trust me, they care.
7. The coaches- First impressions. The consistent communication. Coming to watch them play on Friday nights. The sit down with the family. All of these things are what helps the players make their decision. The coach’s single most important part in recruiting is the sales pitch. “Why should I come here?” You have to sell yourself, not just the school and program.
8. The campus- They have seen pictures online and commercials on TV. However, actually being there is entirely different. What stands out? What draws them back? Most importantly, what makes your school so much more special than the others this potential prospect has visited?
9. Degree- They are called “student-athletes” for a reason. Whether they get offered a scholarship or not, they will be working on some degree path for at least four years there. Will your school have what they want? They may love you and your program but your school might not have what the prospect wants to major in. What do you do? You have to ask these questions.
10. Family- A lot of these prospects want Mom and Dad to come watch them play. Awesome, right? But they live on the other side of the country. Uh oh. Or you have the luxury that your school is only 30 miles from their home. Great! It’s really important to these kids. Also, is this program “family oriented”? Mom and Dad invested the past 18 years into them. They now have to trust you for the next four years. Those sit downs are so important.

You see the reasons why it’s so important. On top of what I just listed, coaches have to fight against negative recruiting as well. Don’t fool yourself because EVERY SCHOOL DOES IT! Understand too, these are teenagers. Majority of these kids don’t really have an idea on what they want to do for rest of their lives, but one thing is clear as crystal- THEY WANT TO PLAY FOOTBALL! They want to be on TV and play in front of 90,000 people at the stadium and millions of people watching on TV and the internet. Recruiting has become so big that schools have coaches that are in charge of that very area of the game. There are numerous web sources and companies that concentrate specifically on recruiting because fans are so interested in these high school kids that put up outrageous statistics, that they dream of what they could do on Saturday’s in the Fall for their team.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 7, 2018. That is the day these young men all across the country pick a hat, hold a bulldog, or do the gator chomp in front of God and everyone and show who they will be playing college football for. It’s a lot fun and ESPNU will be broadcasting it all day. And if you have to work, just visit watchespn.com to tune in. There’s no excuse to miss the craziness that is National Signing Day.

 

As of 1/22/2018, here is the top 25 class rankings for 2018 according to 247 sports:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio St.
3. Texas
4. Penn St.
5. Alabama
6. Miami
7. Oklahoma
8. Clemson
9. Notre Dame
10. Auburn
11. USC
12. LSU
13. Washington
14. Michigan
15. Oregon
16. Florida
17. Tennessee
18. South Carolina
19. Virginia Tech
20. TCU
21. Maryland
22. Florida St.
23. Baylor
24. Nebraska
25. N.C. State

I believe what you saw last Monday night was a stellar finish to the 2017 college football season. Two power houses playing for it all until the last play, and oh boy, was it something special. Georgia controlled the first half and looked to be getting their first national title in 37 years. However, Nick Saban with his bag of tricks, made the call of the year by putting in the freshman, Tua Tagovailoa. Nothing against Jalen Hurts, but he was not productive for the Crimson Tide against the bulldogs. Yet, when DeVontae Smith broke free and got open, Tua launched a bomb that set the college football world on fire. Now the Crimson Tide have 17 National Championships in their storied history and Nick Saban has reached the ranks of legendary, adding his sixth National Title-which is tied with another legend-Bear Bryant.

Now that the dust and confetti have settled, what does the 2018 season do for an encore? 

How about the BIG1G? The strong showing during bowl season shows me that the Big 10 has something to prove and is gaining a lot of momentum into 2018. Urban Myer and his Buckeyes knocked over USC in the Cotton Bowl. Coach Myer was quoted before the game about the playoffs saying, ” We aren’t disappointed- we’re devastated.” A clear message to the playoff committee? Perhaps, but it def got his team fired up. And will Jim Harbaugh finally put it all together to take Michigan somewhere they haven’t been since 1997.

The SEC stole the show in 2017 with their National Title game. Nick Saban doesn’t look to be slowing down, nor does Alabama. Look for them to be right back in the thick of things in 2018. Georgia loses 31 seniors on a team that was close to winning it all. Thanks to the current #1 recruiting class, the bulldogs aren’t thinking rebuilding; their minds are to get back to the National Title stage. And don’t forget about Florida and Tennessee with their new hires. Dan Mullen and Jeremy Pruitt have the coaching skills and personnel to win big at their respective schools. The SEC will be a force for years to come.

And there’s the ACC- a conference that continues to build on recent success is making strides in the recruiting game. #1 Quarterback in the nation, Trevor Lawrence out of Cartersville, GA comes to Clemson with all of the accolades and prestige that he earned in high school, will have to prove he is the next big man on campus in Death Valley. And what does Louisville do now that Lamar Jackson is heading to the NFL? How does Mark Richt take the U to the next level? And does Willie Taggart have the right indgrienets to make FSU a consistent winner? It should be an interesting season in the ACC.

Whatever your feelings are during the off season, know that college football is played during the Fall for a reason- to get you pumped up during the Spring and Summer! Enjoy some basketball during the winter and go check out some baseball games this Spring and Summer, because like I always say, it will be football season again before you know it.

 

The 2017 bowl season has come and gone, and a long with two great playoff games, we are now down to the big one- The National Title game. If you love defense, then you will love this years match up: The University of Georgia Bulldogs vs. The University of Alabama Crimson Tide. Two teams with plenty on the line.

On one end you have the teacher, Nick Saban, who has already acclaimed five national titles to his resume, just took care of a great Clemson team. Call it revenge or call it just taking care of business, the crimson tide controlled the sugar bowl from the get go. The Auburn loss was the best thing to happen to them. They are healthy are now ready for another crack at the big prize. Then on the other end is the student, Kirby Smart who has taken his bulldog team to the national stage under his second season as the head man. It’s the perfect storm for coach smart and company; the sec east is down, majority of his seniors came back to play, and his defense is playing up to his potential. Now he takes on his former boss in a game that looks to be one of those classic slober knockers that your grandfather use to talk about.

I believe there are three key areas that are going to determine the outcome of this game. They are as follows:

1. Alabama’s defense vs. Georgia’s defense

2. Alabama’s offensive line vs. Georgia’s offensive line

3. Jalen Hurts vs. Jake Fromm

Something is going to have to give here, ladies and gentlemen. Someone or some area of each team is going to have to be the difference maker for their team to win. You have two similar programs with a similar playing style- run, run, play-action, and run some more. After Georgia’s offensive performance against Oklahoma, I want to say Georgia has the advantage on offense. And with Alabama’s defensive performance against Clemson, I have to give them the edge on defense. Who knows, this script could be flipped by the coin-toss and I’ll have to throw everything out the window. I know one thing for sure- this is going to be a good one!

Enjoy the game 🙂
Wes

 

Today is the beginning of the Early Singing Period for high school football players to sign their letter of intent to play for their respective schools of choice. This is a game changer because before today, most kids signed on National Signing day, which is usually the first week of February. Now with the early signing implemented, college coaches can have more time to prepare for the Spring and begin to recruit for their next class faster. Some coaches are glad it’s here, others are not. Regardless of which side you’re on, this will for sure cut out a lot of the red carpet, Hollywood style theatrics most of these kids like to put on. Make no mistake though, it is about these kids that are signing the dotted line. They were scouted by colleges and coaches throughout the country and today it’s all about them. Congrats and good luck to all of these young men who are taking their first step into a whole new ballgame.

Some rivalry games play for trophies. Others play for bragging rights for their school and state. And then there is the Army/Navy game. A game that is played front and center in front of our nation and all over the world. These players are enemies on the gridiron but they’re brothers in arms in the heat of battle. This game is so big, that the President of the United States traditionally switches sides for each half to watch the game. It’s the game that is played for our serviceman that serve across the globe, who put their lives on the line for freedom and democracy. Any the majority of these brave young men will be doing the same when their time has been called. You owe it to yourself to salute these men, these brave warriors who fight for something bigger and better.

Under the leadership of Jeff Monken, the Black Knights from West Point took their first step in turning the tide in this rivalry by beating Navy 21-17 last season for the first time in 14 years. If Army can beat Navy again, rivalry will get nasty for the first time in a long time. For Navy, losing to Army is non negotiable. Let’s be real- Navy has dominated this series for a while and Coach Ken Niumatalolo knows that Army has a little Momentum. For Navy to get back on track,  they need to work on the little things and hang on to the ball. It’s something that killed them in this game last year.

Navy leads the series 60-50. Army wants to get back in this thing. Snow is in the forecast and both teams usually run the ball majority of the time. One thing is for certain, today’s game is going to be a good one. If you love college football and our country, check out the Army/Navy game. It truly is America’s game.