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A Letter to Ohio State: From a Georgia Fan

Hey numb nuts, get your act together. Seriously, we’re waiting on you. We’ve suffered for the past six months through this garbage virus, with the hope of college football as the light at the end of the tunnel. I know you’re sick of your compadres in the Big 10 and would like to see Kevin Warren sentenced to sandpapering a wildcat’s balls in a phone booth. I get it. You deserve football, especially after last year when Clemson beat you again. Sorry, couldn’t resist, but we’re as shocked as you are that Clemson apparently invented football in the last 10 years; at least that’s what their fans would have us believe. We hate Alabama like you hate Clemson, and you probably hate Alabama, too. We should be friends, but we aren’t because of the whole Justin Fields thing. Time and a little therapy can fix that, though.

Ohio State is loaded. We get that. Nobody else in the Big Ten is a serious title contender, so if your season stays canceled, it’s no big deal to us. Georgia has to deal with Bama in week three, and probably again in December at some point, then Clemson if both get that far (Georgia likely won’t). Georgia fans will take a national title after 40 years of misery even if it comes with an asterisk. Every other fan base in the SEC, ACC or Big 12 would say the same. But we don’t want to hear Buckeye fans always say, “Well, you didn’t beat us.”

Georgia could use Fields this year, obviously. The current QB situation is J.T. Daniels and Dwan Mathis. Not a great spot to be in after Jamie Newman up and quit, but the defense is legit and can win 9 or 10 games with ball-control offense. Fields deserves to get one more year at Ohio State and then go get his money, which he’s going to do regardless. Props to him for wanting to play. He deserves to face Georgia, which would draw huge ratings, or Alabama or whoever. Warren’s decision isn’t fair to him or anybody else in the Big Ten who has to watch their commissioner down in Starkville as his son plays at Mississippi State. That may be the most idiotic hypocrisy I’ve ever seen.

Keep pushing. Do what you have to do to make this thing happen. We’re pulling for you (OK, maybe some of us aren’t), because we think we can beat you, and you think you can beat us. Only one way to know for sure. Ohio State’s offense vs. a Bama/Georgia defense or a rematch with Clemson would be a great end to the season. Oklahoma can’t win a playoff game, so we damn sure don’t want to see a second Big 12 team in, and we don’t want Bama or a second SEC team in the playoffs either (unless it’s Georgia, and then it’s only fair after Bama got a free pass in ‘18). No offense, Notre Dame, but we know what you’ll do, so that’s a hard pass.

Best of luck on a season. It doesn’t look good right now, but stranger things have happened. Hell, if Fields can get an immediate transfer waiver while claiming racism, but his sister is perfectly fine with staying at that same university, anything can happen.

Sorry, still a little salty. May need more therapy. Go America. Go Buckeyes. Go to hell Kevin Warren.

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BMFOF: Baddest Mother F***** on the Field

These dudes don’t need Samuel L. Jackson’s wallet proclaiming themselves a bad mother f*****. They prove it on the field. These are GAMs – grown ass men – and you want them in your crew when things go sideways at the club.

Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

Penei Sewell will be a cornerstone left tackle for an NFL team this time next year, likely a top 5 pick. PFF calls him “the best offensive tackle prospect we’ve ever graded,” and the numbers bear that out. Since 2014 when PFF started grading college games, 4,739 offensive linemen have played at least 250 snaps in a season, and Sewell’s 2019 campaign was the highest Wins Above Average rating in those five years – better than Notre Dame’s Quenton Nelson in 2017, and Nelson may be the best OL in the league now. PFF graded Sewell at 95.5 last year, the highest grade ever given to an offensive lineman, and he’s ranked the third best player in the country preseason. He didn’t give up a sack last year and has only given up one in 1,376 snaps for the Ducks. The last time an OL finished in the top five of Heisman voting was 1996 when Ohio State’s Orlando Pace finished fourth. Sewell could change that. Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon’s sophomore stud at DE, who PFF says had the most valuable season as a true freshmen since 2014, would be on this list, but we’re limiting it to one player per team.

Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State

Big Marv (6-foot-5, 311 pounds) is built like an Everglades backwater stump, but, for a nose guard, he moves like a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck. He’s doubled or chipped most plays and still wins: His 90.9 Pro Football Focus pass-rush grade among nose guards was second in 2019 only to Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike, who was an overgrown pest in his own right. Wilson won on 16.8% of his pass rush reps, tied for the fifth-highest rate in the country, according to PFF. He’s a top 10 pick in 2021 and has shown why he was one of the most sought-after high school prospects in the country.

Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State

The Buckeyes have a couple guys who fit this list, but Davis is the most valuable guard in the country coming back, PFF says, and he didn’t allow a sack on 459 pass block snaps last season. Best of all though, he’s the son of Duane Davis, aka Alvin Mack, the linebacker from the greatest college football movie of all time, “The Program.” Wyatt has snot bubbles running in his DNA, and that makes him one bad son of a badass.

Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

Parsons is almost too mainstream for this list because everybody knows him, but damn … the kid can play. After a breakout sophomore season, Parsons will be on every NFL teams’ 2021 draft wish list as visions of LaVar Arrington’s stone-cold leaping stop at the goalline dance in their heads. Only two players had 75-plus tackles and less than 10 missed tackles in 2019, according to PFF, and Parsons was one. He’s a former five-star prospect that has lived up to the billing and then some. He does it all, even the dirty work – PFF tabs him as the top returning run-stopper in the Big Ten.

Brendan Radley-Hines, S, Oklahoma

This cat has that Troy Polamalu feel, and it’s not just the hair. OK, it might be mostly the hair, but both those guys flew around the field and were vicious. Radley-Hines’ ejection in the CFB playoffs against LSU gained him the “dirty” label, but that’s the kind of hitter you want on your side over an entire season. He’s the enforcer in the Sooners’ secondary, but he also ranked third in the nation per PFF last season in yards allowed per slot coverage snap. Note: Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey is also one bad mofo.

Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama

Alex Leatherwood or Christian Barmore could easily make this list – all big, bad skull crushers – but Moses is primed for a comeback after missing all of 2019 due to injury. If healthy, he would have been a first-rounder in 2020, but instead he returns to anchor an Alabama defense that churns out NFL talent annually. Moses had 84 tackles and just four misses in 2018. At 6-foot-3, 235, few players cover as much ground and bring the hammer like Moses.

Zamir “Zeus” White, RB, Georgia

His nickname is Zeus for God’s sake. He was the No. 1 running back coming out of high school in 2018 before tearing both knees up within a year. White takes over the coveted role of lead back in Athens, and he’s finally at full strength. He runs like a tank and the elusiveness is nearly back. He’s in PFF’s top five running back list for the 2021 NFL Draft and only got 78 carries in 2019. That should tell you something.

Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson

Big boy, at 6-foot-5, 345, held his own as a first-year starter in 2019 and had an impressive showing against Chase Young in the CFB playoffs. He’s a mauler in the run game and continues to improve in pass pro. If Carman get his hands on you, forget it.

Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee

Apologies to Darian Kinnard at Kentucky, who is the top-graded returning OL in the SEC, but Trey Smith at full strength is the first guy you want with you in the trenches. Smith has been berated by chronic injuries during his career in Knoxville, but if he can get one more full season healthy, he’ll show he’s one of the best in the country. He’s got a mean streak, too, and if Cade Mays receives eligibility after transferring from Georgia, the Vols OL may be the Nasty Boys of college football.

Hamilcar Rashed Jr., OLB, Oregon State

Set the Beavs’ record for sacks in a season last year (14) and led the nation in tackles for loss (22.5). Bad dude with even worse intentions off the edge. You’ve got to love this guy, but he won’t get the attention he deserves.

Honorable mention: JaCoby Stevens, S, LSU; Carlos Besham, DL, Wake Forest; Gregory Rousseau, DL, Miami; Jalen Twyman, DL, Pitt; Kair Elam, S, Florida; Darius Stills, DT, WV; Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern; Dax Hill, S, Michigan, Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas; Jay Tufele, DT, USC; Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington

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“Just Pay Me”: Nike’s new recruiting slogan

 By Matt Stewart

The NCAA is opening the floodgates for compensation and endorsement through name, image and likeness deals with college athletes, and there’s one big winner in the apparel arms race: Nike.

The clothing and footwear giant already owns massive stock in college football: 53% of FBS college teams wear Nike apparel (69 total), almost double Adidas and more than triple Under Armour’s roster. When it comes to the power players in college football, Nike has the market cornered; 65% of Power 5 teams adorn the Swoosh logo, including all the big boys: LSU, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, Penn State – the top nine teams from last season.

Here’s the kicker: In recommending the allowance of endorsement deals for individual college athletes, the NCAA’s current report places restrictions on which apparel company a player can sign with to prevent brand competition. For example, last season, Joe Borrow, who played for Nike-endorsed LSU, couldn’t have signed a deal to promote Adidas because it would have conflicted with his school’s agreement.

So, in essence, Nike already has the rights to the biggest teams and the biggest players in the country because it endorses the majority of Power 5 schools that contend for titles annually. Notre Dame (Under Armour) is the only non-Nike school to play in the College Football Playoff.

If and when these NIL regulations go into effect in 2021, LSU’s Derek Stingley, Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux, Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, Georgia’s Nolan Smith, Clemson’s Bryan Breese and more future studs will be pumping Nike because they don’t have a choice. Not that they’ll argue with it – Nike has the money and the reach nationally to draw the top players regardless of whatever restrictions are imposed.

Phil Knight, Nike co-founder, former Oregon track alum and a huge Ducks fan, famously created a new jersey for every week of the Oregon season and has funded the program for years. What happens when one of the 20 richest people in the country, who owns an apparel company and knows the ins and outs of college football endorsement deals, is given free rein on 70% of NCAA players? We’re about to find out, and we know Knight and Nike aren’t afraid to spend money in an effort to find the next Jordan.

Nike already has the Jumpman logo on the uniforms of four of the biggest football programs in the country: Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan and North Carolina (Ok, not the biggest, but it’s Jordan’s alma mater). The Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand will only grow, and the younger kids still eat it up.

You think coaches won’t use Nike to entice recruits even more now that an endorsement deal could be waiting in the wings. It’s inevitable.

“Recruits are always asking about swag and what kind of gear we have,” Florida head coach Dan Mullen told CBS Sports when Florida signed on with Nike’s Jordan Brand. “Obviously, it is a great marketing and branding advantage to be associated with the Jordan Brand.”

Mullen wears Jordans with his khakis on the recruiting trail. He’s probably already guaranteeing an endorsement with every commitment. Try to stop it, NCAA.

Larry Fedora, former head coach at UNC when the Tar Heels began wearing the Jumpman logo, saw the potential then, even before player endorsements were a possibility.

“Every single player we’re recruiting knows about it,” he told CBS Sports at the time. “They all want to see the different uniforms we’re going to wear, the different shoes that we get.”

Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma saw it, too.

“We’ll be at the forefront of making sure our players have the best, trying new things, new ideas, and leading the charge as far as that race,” he told CBS Sports in his first season wearing the Jordan Brand.

Nike saw this coming, and they’ve probably already built a blue print and infrastructure to identify high school players and a contact list of college recruiters to facilitate the process. Zion Williamson at Duke was just the start. The free market is open for business, and Nike is looking for its next cash cow.  

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High Bust Potential- 2020 Transfer Edition

Scan the transfer portal in 2020 when you have 30 minutes to kill, just don’t do it on the throne unless you want your legs to fall asleep. There are droves of kids looking for greener pastures. One of the NCAA’s boards (another name for bored white dudes locked up in their anti-corona mansions) decided April 30 that now is not the appropriate time to grant one-time waivers to student athletes. If past waiver eligibility decisions are an indication, some suit is flipping a coin on these waiver appeals anyway, so who gives a shit what an NCAA board recommends.

Getting off my bitch box, there are a few graduate transfers and others with immediate eligibility or pending appeals that look good on paper, but they’re bound to bust if the fit isn’t near perfect. These guys could work out, but there’s high probability they fall flat. Admittedly, these are all good players, but their circumstances may be the culprit.

D’Eriq King, QB, Miami

The King lit up the AAC at Houston in 2018, but ’19 was a disaster due to injuries. Now, he’ll be in the eye of the storm in south Florida, and that storm is the Hurricane offensive line. They were awful in 2019. Luckily, King can run, but so could Jaren Williams, who is also in the portal after getting thrown in and out of a bad Miami offense as a freshman QB. The ACC is no bastion of defense outside of Clemson, and King is a high completion percentage guy, but he’ll be tested severely in Miami’s offense. The o-line will have to improve significantly, and several playmakers will have to emerge for King to find much success.

Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia

Newman is a big-armed dude and a favorite of Pro Football Focus, having the second-highest grade on tight-window throws in 2019 behind some guy named Burrow, or Burreaux (Cajuns can’t spell). He’ll play behind a quality offensive line in Athens with a few good running backs and a ton of unproven talent at wide receiver. Newman had solid wideout play at Wake Forest and put up decent numbers, but much of it came against soft competition. Georgia will have a new offensive coordinator for the third time in five years, and only George Pickens has shown to be a playmaker downfield. If no one else develops and the Dawgs can’t pound people into submission with the run, trouble may be brewing (two regular season losses equate to trouble because Georgia’s defense is legit and will keep them in every game). 

Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas

Franks lost his job due to injury at Florida, so no disrespect for wanting to go play, but Arkansas probably ain’t the place for a farewell tour. Under a new head coach trying to rebuild a roster, Franks is going to struggle in the SEC West. A move to an FCS school would have made more sense for Franks’ future.

Jashaun Corbin, RB, FSU 

Corbin was just granted immediate eligibility after transferring from Texas A&M. This is no shot at his running ability. It’s a shot at Florida State’s ability to run block. The Seminoles front five managed to make Cam Akers look pedestrian, so the odds of Corbin having great success is limited in 2020. It may have been in his best interest to sit a year and let Mike Norvell recruit and coach … something that’s been missing in Tallahassee for a few years. 

Antonio Alfano, DL, Colorado

Alfano, the top ranked strong-side defensive end out of high school in 2019, went AWOL on Alabama after signing with Nick Saban, who called Alfano a quitter. The kid transferred to the Buffs last fall, but even if he is granted eligibility (currently under appeal) for 2020, he still may not see the field at Colorado. It only took two months for head coach Karl Dorrell to suspend Alfano indefinitely after he arrived in Boulder. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Alfano is as talented as they come, but he headed for Colorado to play for Mel Tucker, who is now at Michigan State, and his position coach is also gone. This one probably won’t end well.  

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Fans Off- Possible Upsets With No Spectators

God forbid, there’s no football this fall. This coronavirus has wreaked havoc on our economy, our population’s health and our sanity. But the death knell would be the cancellation of football. I would lose it. The next possible scenario is football with no fans, and it’s a real possibility, especially the first month of the college football season.

Best case, we’re back to normal by July and fall camp starts on time, campuses are open and we can get drunk at a tailgate without having to sip through a mask. But, in case the government tells us we shouldn’t be sitting next to each other, yelling and germinating all over the place, here’s a few potential upsets that could happen if the home team has no fans in the stands in September.

Week 1

Michigan at Washington

The Wolverines are about a point favorite at the moment at Husky Stadium, so no real upset here if Khaki Jim pulls it off. Who really knows with unknowns at quarterback for both teams, but the absence of crowd noise on Lake Washington will make the debut of Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton that much easier.

Southern Cal vs Alabama, Jerry World

Bama fans would likely make their way to Arlington, Texas, for this neutral site showdown after being quarantined in that god-awful state for nearly five months (I was born in LA, lower Alabama, so don’t @ me). The Tide are two touchdown favorites and the Trojans will bring some firepower on offense, so without the fans, USC could pull the … yeah, I don’t really think it will happen either.

Week 2 

Tennessee at Oklahoma

Oklahoma is breaking in a new quarterback, and Tennessee is one of the hottest teams of the offseason. The Vols still don’t have a quality signal caller, but that offensive line is one of the best in football. Oklahoma, at 7-point favorite early, is pretty good up front, too, and Jeremy Pruitt still hasn’t closed the talent gap with elites yet. Still, without fans in Norman, it gives a young Tennessee team reason for hope. Still, Georgia State …

Texas at LSU

Texas returns the favor after a 2019 showdown in Austin that gave us an early glimpse of what Joe Burrow would do. Now, the Tigers get Texas and veteran gunslinger Sam Elhinger in Baton Rouge’s Death Valley with no Burrow and nearly its entire offense gone (save for Ja’Marr Chase). No rowdy Cajuns, no “Neck” chant from the class of Louisiana, no pregame heartburn. That would just be weird, man. The Longhorns could make it close without the homefield advantage.

Oregon vs. Ohio State

Oregon’s governor has already said she wanted everything shut down until September or later, so this primetime game looks fan-less at the moment. Autzen Stadium can get loud despite its size, so that’s a real advantage for the Buckeyes, who’ll be a road favorite to begin with. Justin should have a “Fields’ Day.”

North Carolina vs Auburn, Atlanta

Interesting matchup that likely favors Auburn in the Benz with butts in the seats. The Tar Heels and Mack Brown are red hot on the recruiting trail right now and have built momentum to be challengers in the ACC. An upset over a mercurial Tigers squad with sophomore Bo Nix and a solid defense would be big. No fans favors UNC.

Week 3

Georgia at Alabama

Big-time matchup in SEC territory. Tide fans may riot if they try to close Bryant-Denny for a night game under the (LED) lights. An empty stadium favors the Dawgs, and if Jamie Newman can get right in a new Georgia offense, this one could get interesting. Still, Mac Jones has plenty of weapons, and he’ll need them against a nasty Dawgs defense. Should be fun with or without the fans, but let’s hope we don’t even have to consider it come late September.

Appalachian State at Wisconsin

Why on earth would you schedule App State? Seems like they beat a quality Power 5 every year. Ask Michigan, Tennessee, South Carolina … just don’t do it Wisconsin. Too late. Camp Randall’s crowd would be a big help, and the Badgers will be heavy favorites, but with no fans, the smart money will likely be on the boys from Boone.

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The Rich Get Richer

“You’ve got to win in February to win in the fall.” It’s an old adage referring to recruiting in college football; so old, in fact, it doesn’t really apply anymore. Considering the majority of players now sign with schools in December, February’s National Signing Day has become an arbitrary date.

December or February, doesn’t really matter. The thoroughbreds in college football continue to build iron horses. If you’re looking for parity like the NFL, look elsewhere. Recruiting rankings aren’t the end all, be all, but they tell a big part of the story. If you’re not loading up on blue chip recruits, you can just about forget playing in January. And unfortunately for more than 95% percent of colleges, only about five teams have cornered the market, although there are some outliers.

Here’s a look at each Power 5 conference and what the recruiting rankings, courtesy of 247 Sports’ overall team talent (a combined score of all scholarship players’ recruiting rankings on the roster) and recruiting rankings (the average ranking of 247 Sports, Rivals and ESPN), tell us.

SEC

We start with the SEC because, well, no other conference comes close when it comes to recruiting. There’s a reason five different teams from the conference have played for the national championship the past 11 years. From the 2020 recruiting rankings, seven of the top 10 teams reside in the SEC. Sure, the conference has built-in advantages like living in the recruiting hotbed of the South and having the SEC winner almost assured to receive a playoff invite. But there’s no denying what Alabama has done in recruiting, and it’s not stopping. The Crimson Tide had the top-ranked overall roster from 2019 in the team talent rankings and finished second in the 2020 composite recruiting rankings. Of course, ‘Bama was upended in the regular season by eventual national champ LSU, which had the fifth-ranked overall roster and finished fourth in 2020 recruiting. The Tigers lost a ton in talent and coaching after the title game, but the depth is there to make another run this fall, especially with ‘Bama going to Death Valley. Georgia continues to dominate the SEC East in roster talent and recruiting, with Kirby Smart capturing another recruiting title in 2020. The Bulldogs had the third-ranked team talent roster in 2019, but on-the-field results in the biggest games haven’t followed. And, for the third time in five years, Georgia is bringing in a new offensive coordinator, so it remains to be seen if offensive continuity can be built with a new quarterback.

On the Fringe: Texas A&M (No. 12 roster in 2019, No. 6 composite recruiting ranking in 2020)

Big 10

Not breaking news: Ohio State recruits at the highest level, and, as a result, it owns the Big 10. The fact that the Buckeyes had the second-ranked roster nationally in 2019 is a testament to Urban Meyer’s recruiting, and Ryan Day hasn’t missed a beat, finishing with the fifth-ranked composite recruiting ranking in 2020. From a talent standpoint, no other team is relatively close. Penn State featured the No. 10 most talented roster in 2019 but finished No. 15 in 2020 recruiting. Michigan had the 11th-ranked roster and finished No. 14 in recruiting. Wisconsin continues to outproduce its talent on the field, having not collected a top 20-ranked recruiting class in the past five years, but the Badgers haven’t been able to overcome the massive talent gap with Ohio State.

On the Fringe: Nebraska (No. 24 composite roster in 2019, No. 20 recruiting ranking in 2020)

ACC

We could just write Clemson and move on, but that doesn’t explain what Dabo Swinney has done in the past four years. The Tigers had the ninth-ranked most talented roster in 2019 and haven’t finished higher than seventh in the recruiting rankings during their run, despite winning two titles in the last four years. They played for another championship in 2019 because they don’t miss on QB evaluation and have been able to keep a coaching staff together during the run, save for Chad Morris and now Jeff Scott. Brent Venables is the new Bud Foster; the guy just won’t leave. For the first time, Clemson put together an elite recruiting class in 2020, finishing third in the composite rankings, although the top three classes between Georgia, Alabama and Clemson are nearly interchangeable, not to mention the Tigers got another stud QB. That’s bad news for the rest of the conference, which has no suitable challengers. Florida State had the No. 6 best roster in 2019, but Willie Taggert failed miserably. Recruiting rankings only go so far; player development has to take over at some point.

On the Fringe: Miami (No. 18 in 2019 composite roster talent; No. 13 in 2020 composite recruiting rankings)

Big 12

Oklahoma (No. 8 roster in 2019; No. 11 in 2020 recruiting) and Texas (No. 7 roster in 2019; No. 9 in 2020 recruiting) have made this a two-horse race in recruiting. Baylor had the 35th ranked roster in 2019, a testament to Matt Rhule, who’s now off to the Carolina Panthers, and the Bears had the 54th ranked recruiting class in 2020. Good luck with that, Dave Aranda. Oklahoma at least makes an appearance in the college football playoffs, thanks to its elite QB play and offensive line recruiting and development. Texas is the anomaly. The Longhorns have built one of the most talented rosters in the country, but Tom Herman has yet to figure it out. Eventually a blind squirrel will find a nut, right?

On the Fringe: TCU (No. 30 roster in 2019; No. 28 recruiting ranking in 2020)

Pac-12

Oregon (No. 17 in 2019 roster rankings) appears to be the class of the current Pac-12, but the team with the most roster talent in 2019 jumps off the page: Southern Cal. USC had the No. 4 ranked composite roster in the country last year and managed to go 8-5. The Trojans didn’t crack the top 50 in recruiting rankings in 2020, meaning Clay Helton may be a dead man walking. Mario Christobal, on the other hand, has found a way to bring five-star talent to Oregon (No. 12-ranked class in 2020). In the past 17 years, Oregon is the only team to play for a national title without a five-star recruit on the roster. Even Chip Kelly has five stars on the roster at UCLA.

On the Fringe: Washington (No. 19 team roster in 2019; No. 16 in 2020 recruiting rankings)

by: Matt Stewart