College Football
Sharpened Spear?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After a very rough first year under Mike Norvell, the Florida State Seminoles looks to rebound behind UCF transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton.
Coach Norvell had a year to replenish the Noles’ roster with high profile transfers, and the Seminoles are hopeful for a substantial improvement over last year’s 3-6 record.
The transfer of star quarterback McKenzie Milton was the story of this offseason and it is a foregone conclusion that he’ll be the starter.
Milton was a Heisman contender at UCF, but he hasn’t played a game since sustaining a career threatening leg injury in 2018. A star in status may not return with star-level skill after something like that.
Due to some disastrous games in the 2020 season, Vegas does not think very highly of FSU, giving them just a 15.5% chance to win 6 games. With those odds, let’s take a look at their schedule:
Sept 6 vs Notre Dame: The Noles open the season on prime-time TV versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday night at 7:30. The home crowd should help the Noles play with a lot of energy, but the Fighting Irish have too much talent and will leave Tallahassee with a big win. ND 48 FSU 24.
Sept 11 vs Jacksonville State: The FCS Jacksonville State Gamecocks should be a win for FSU. Florida State has 3 games they must win if they want to be bowl eligible. This should be a walk in the park for the Noles. FSU 56 JS 13.
Sept 18 at Wake Forest: First road game of the season and FSU has more talent than Wake Forest. This is the first of a few toss up games for the Seminoles and should be a battle between McKenzie Milton and Sam Hartman, I anticipate a high scoring affair. FSU 48 Wake Forest 42
Sept 25 vs Louisville: The second of four total toss up games and a must win for the Noles. This was a tough outing for FSU last year, ending in a 32-point blowout. FSU should look at this as a revenge game. FSU 38 Louisville 23
Oct 2 vs Syracuse: If this was basketball, then there’s a need to be worried. This is football and this should be an easy win for the Noles. FSU 36 Syracuse 17
Oct 9 at North Carolina: Last year FSU shocked the Tar Heels at Doak Campbell Stadium, but either way I look at this game, it is not good for the Seminoles.
Sam Howell leads a high-powered North Carolina offense and the game will be played at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
This will be a respectful L for FSU, one that hopefully welcomes them back as a competitor in the ACC. North Carolina 44 FSU 20
Oct 23 vs UMass: The Seminoles face their second FBS team, UMass happened to go 0-4 last season. This will be a blowout Homecoming special. FSU 64 UMass 13
Oct 30 at Clemson: Oh-NO!! After last season’s COVID canceled game, Dabo will take it out on Norvell. The Noles will wish this year’s game was also canceled hours before kickoff. Clemson has too much Champion-tier talent and it will trash FSU’s game plan from start to end. Clemson 52 FSU 13
Nov 6 vs NC State: Another toss up game. Thayer Thomas and the Wolfpack travel to Tallahassee and hand the Seminoles another home loss. NC State 38 FSU 24
Nov 13 vs Miami: The Hurricanes have dominated the Seminoles in the last four seasons, and the trend will continue this season. The U comes to town and leaves with another no doubt victory. Miami 57 FSU 27
Nov 20 at Boston College: Game four of the four toss up games. Milton and the Noles are too much for the Eagles. FSU 38 Boston College 16
Nov 27 at Florida: This is probably one of the biggest rivalry matchups of the season. The Gators have more talent on both sides of the ball and will show FSU no mercy. Florida 58 FSU 24
Record: 6-6
The 2021 season will be a turning point for FSU. Can they meet, or exceed expectations?
I believe the ceiling for FSU is 8 wins and the floor is 4. McKenzie Milton is the key to the season. If he stays healthy, FSU can reach their ceiling, if QB1 is QB done, expect 4-5 wins.
Rocky Bottom
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To say the Tennessee Volunteer football program has struggled recently is being kind. The program is downright awful at the moment.
Tennessee has not won the SEC East since 2007, and have not won an SEC Title since 1998. Since 2007, Florida and Georgia have won the SEC East five times each, Missouri twice, and South Carolina once.
Since 2007, Tennessee has gone through five head football coaches. Jeremy Pruitt was hired in 2018 and fired in 2020 and that experiment was a disaster.
Pruitt was fired for cause due to committing serious NCAA recruiting violations. The NCAA is in a current investigation of the Tennessee. Major NCAA sanctions are looming over the horizon. Nine other coaches and staff were fired as well after the internal investigation.
On the local front former Brunswick High School head football coach Larry Harold was one of the nine terminated after the Tennessee internal investigation.
Rumors of cash being handed out to players and recruits in fast food bags are some of the things you hear being tossed around in connection to the investigation.
Former head coach and AD Philip Fulmer was forced to resign as Athletic Director over the internal investigation and was not allowed to take part in the hiring of Pruitt’s replacement.
I know Tennessee legend Johnny Majors had to be smiling down from heaven on that one after then offensive coordinator Fulmer conspired to have Majors fired as head coach of the Vols back in 1992. Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve eventually.
Josh Heupel was hired away from Central Florida to clean up the mess of a rotten internal football culture at Tennessee. Heupel will need time to rebuild this program.
The transfer portal has gutted the depth of the program. Hendon Hooker transferred in from Virginia Tech and he and Harrison Bailey look to compete for the starting QB job. Joe Milton also transferred from Michigan and could also compete for the QB job.
Cade Mays leads an offensive line that was brutal in pass protection in 2020. Heupel runs a pass happy offense so pass protection is the key.
On defense the talent at LB transferred. The defensive talent level is lacking. Heupel must develop a defense at Tennessee, which could be a major challenge as his defensive units at UCF ranked among the worst in the nation. Poor defensive play will get you fired in the SEC.
The rebuild at Tennessee won’t be easy at all with Alabama and Georgia recruiting at elite levels and taking top Tennessee high school talent annually. Tennessee must recruit Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia well to return to glory.
It may take a decade after looming NCAA sanctions wear off for Vol fans to get back if ever to the standard they were used to in the 1990’s.
Schedule/My Predictions: Projected Wins: Bowling Green, Tennessee Tech, South Carolina, South Alabama, Vanderbilt.
Projected Losses: Pittsburgh, Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia
Projected record 5-7 and 2-6 in the SEC.
Tennessee football seasons hinge on outcomes of the Alabama, Florida and Georgia games.
Tennessee records against those three this century:
Alabama: 5-16 and currently on a 14-game losing streak.
Florida: 4-17 and a current 4 game losing streak
Georgia: 6-15 and a current 4 game losing streak
Combined: 15-48
Since Tennessee’s last SEC Championship game appearance in 2007 the Vols are 36-70 in SEC play.
Tennessee has gone from one of the best programs in the conference to one of the worst in 13 years.
It’s not going to get better overnight Tennessee fans. The worst still may be yet to come once the NCAA gets finished with you.
The SEC Stable
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
SEC talent is always the top talent of college football. This year is no different, especially when it comes to running backs.
Despite losing talent such as Najee Harris, Larry Roundtree and Eric Gray, the SEC remains strong all around at the running back position in 2021.
Three out of the top five rushers are returning. Who will lead the rushing attacks for the SEC programs in 2021?
This list isn’t just about players’ statistical impact, but their overall impact on and off the field. Here are my top 5 running backs in the SEC for 2021.
- Brian Robinson, Alabama: Robinson doesn’t have the production numbers compared to the others on my list, partly because he was playing behind Najee Harris the past few seasons.
The Crimson Tide’s starting running backs have produced 1,000 plus yard seasons eight times in the past 10 years. Robinson will run behind one of the SEC’s most dominating offensive lines, so just pencil him in for 1,000 plus rushing and double digits touchdowns, not to take away from his incredible explosiveness and talent.
- Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky:Rodriguez just might be the most underrated backs in the country right now.
Rodriguez is a power runner with excellent footwork, and 2021 will be his breakout season. Last season he finished 6th in SEC rushing yards, and he only played in nine games.
Rodriguez piled up 11 rushing touchdowns (4th in the SEC) and averaged 6.6 yards per carry! He will share the backfield with Kavosiey Smoke this season.
- Kevin Harris, South Carolina:Harris finished 2020 with the most rushing yards per game.
Let’s be totally honest, Harris was the Gamecocks’ whole offense last year. A physical runner noted one of the league’s biggest surprises in the 2020 season.
Harris averaged 6.2 yards per carry behind one of the (measurably) worst offensive lines in the SEC. He is a human bowling ball. He rarely falls at first contact, and never falls backward.
Harris gives the Gamecocks reliable balls in the backfield. He’s a difference maker who will be heavily carrying Shane Beamer’s first season.
- Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M: Spiller has become Jimbo Fisher’s featured back in the Texas A&M offense. This past season, he totaled 1,229 yards of total offense (1,036 rushing and 193 receiving) in only 10 games.
When the Aggies needed a big play or key third down conversion, they dialed up Spiller. With a new signal caller in College Station this season, Spiller will man the new controls in the offense.
I expect Spiller to team up with Devon Achane and Anias Smith (Mr. Do it All) to give Jimbo Fisher plenty of weapons to choose from, but Spiller will be the focal point of this Texas A&M offense.
1.Tank Bigsby, Auburn: Bigsby is the best running back going into the 2021 season.
Despite being 6 foot and weighing 208 pounds, he is built like his first name and plays like one too.
First year coach, Bryan Harson’s offense will thrive through Bigsby. He is capable of carrying the ball 20 plus times a game this year.
As long as Bigsby can stay healthy, he should emerge as one of the elite running backs in the SEC in 2021. Considering the production at running back at Boise State during Harson’s reign, Bigsby has to be excited about being the bell cow of the Auburn offense.
Honorable Mentions Outside of the Top 5: Trelon Smith, Arkansas; James Cook, Georgia; Jerrion Ealy, Ole Miss; Zamir White, Georgia; Ainias Smith, Texas A&M; Tyrion Davis Price, LSU; Trey Sanders, Alabama; Nay’Quan Wright, Florida
Breakout Player This Year: Tiyon Evans, Tennessee
Looks Like Me
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
College athletes across the country began raking in money for their name, image and likeness (NIL) July 1st.
Who’s set to earn the most money? We may never know as some players are keeping the details of their deals with companies entirely private.
Most fans assume the biggest earners will be college football players, but that may not be the case. Social media outlets like TikTok and Instagram may be a determining factor in the marketability of a player in other college sports.
Local businesses in sports-crazy college towns will contribute heavily and if a player secures multiple deals from companies big and small, they will become a presence in their city, and still scrape in some decent royalty cash. Let’s take a look at some of the early winners in NIL.
- Olivia Dunne, LSU Gymnast: Dunne, an All-American gymnast is a social media BEAST. She has 5.1 million Twitter followers, 400,000 TikTok followers and 1.2 Instagram followers. Dunne is projected to make over one million dollars a year off NIL.
- Hanna and Haley Cavinder (twins) Fresno State Basketball: The Cavinders have over four million followers on TikTok and Instagram. The estimated annual gross income for social media influencers is about 80 cents per follower, you do the math, this is a sports magazine.
- D’Eriq King, Miami Football: King signed a couple deals with College Hunks Hauling Junk and Murphy Auto Group that total around $200,000. King and McKenzie Milton partnered on a NIL platform called Dreamfield as well, whose contributions are unknown.
- Hercy Miller, Tennessee State, Basketball: Miller is the son of rapper Master P. Hercy Miller signed a two-million-dollar deal with Web Apps America, and that’s just for right now.
- Brock Vandagriff, Georgia Football: Vandagriff signed a big money deal with Onward Reserve, a men’s apparel company. Vandagriff was one of five players to sign with Onward Reserve, the identities of the other four are yet to be known.
- Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma Football: Rattler signed a deal with Raising Cane’s, a Louisiana based restaurant franchise with locations across the country. Rattler promised to share his NIL profits with underprivileged communities this season.
- Lexi Sun, Nebraska Volleyball: Sun signed an undisclosed deal with Ren, a volleyball apparel company.
- Trey Knox and Blue, Arkansas, Football: Knox and Blue (a Siberian Husky) signed a deal with PetSmart, which operates 1,650 stores in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Also, notably, more than 4,000 college athletes have partnered with Yoke Gaming, an app that allows fans to pay to play video games with them on stream.
Welcome to the new world of college athletics. It’s going to be hard (actually impossible) to enforce NIL violations, but it is about time that young athletes get the chance to earn money for themselves and their families!
Another interesting benefit to explore is that college athletes will be granted direct work experience in the line of a professional athlete, and isn’t that a great reason to go to college?
This will avoid athletes from signing predatory marketing deals their first year in the bigs and allow them to strategize marketing platforms for their NIL alongside their playmaker marketability.
In my opinion, it’s going to be crazy unsettling and it will take a couple years to get a handle on all this in the leagues. I wonder why this step in the right direction took so long for the NCAA to make.
Foundation Rebuilding
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State ended a hectic month of June with supreme style, landing four public commitments from the final weekend of official visits before the Dead Period began.
The Seminoles moved to number 3 in some recruiting rankings and that’s top in the ACC.
Most fans pay attention to the details of their own team, and look at rival teams with a broad stroke. Assuming the worst for their rivals, fans don’t get into the details of why or how very often.
So… Florida State: they hired Mike Norvell from Memphis, who went 3-6 last season. Fans ignore the state of the roster and lack of coaching time mostly due to COVID, meanwhile Gator and Cane fans have laughed about “Memphis Mac” for about a year now.
If you watch video from his time with the Tigers, you will see a dynamic offense. Most Florida State fans assumed that would translate immediately to their program, and they were left hopeful after the North Carolina game.
FSU fans ignored the roster and lineup changes during the season and any improvement on the offensive line. All they saw was three wins! That only reinforced FSU’s rivals on social media that Norvell can’t coach or recruit.
Norvell is building his FSU team inside out. He currently has 14 total commits and 7 are offensive and defensive linemen. The class is led by the number 2 player in the country Travis Hunter from Suwanee, GA and Sam McCall is the other five-star commit from Lake Gibson, FL.
Now the inside players, FSU currently has 4 offensive linemen committed. Antavious Woody a 6-3, 291 guard out of Lafayette, AL, Qae’shon Sapp a 6-5 320 tackle out of Leesburg, GA, Aliou Bah a 6-6, 325 tackle out of Memphis, TN and Kanaya Charlton 6-5, 351 guard out of Brunswick, GA.
Norvell and staff are currently addressing their need on the o-line and I think FSU will try to add two or three more linemen to this class, Norvell has his sights on Elijah Pritchett, Julian Armella, and Daughtry Richardson.
With the way things are going, it’s probably safe to say the Seminoles will land a top class of offensive linemen, in pursuit of rebuilding. One of many steps in multiple recruiting cycles to acquire competent depth; sounds like a good coach.
As Florida State gets closer to the start of fall football practice, the offensive line may be the most intriguing unit. They weren’t great by any means this past season, but there was notable growth. With the entire group returning, there’s cause for optimism in the depth chart’s rotation.
Norvell must win more than 5 games this year, or these recruits will portal to another, more successful campus to call their home.
Expansion
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If you’ve been living off the grid, you missed the big news last week.
College football is headed towards expanding the Playoffs to 12 teams. Let’s break down which programs are going to benefit the most on the field.
1.UCF: Through the past five years, the Knights have been widely regarded as the most capable Group-of-5 program.
Add Cincinnati and Boise State to that mix, and with expansion, there is now a seat at the table for really talented and fun to watch teams that may come once every few years for a program.
These types of teams have historically been an afterthought to the committee for the College Football Playoffs.
- Georgia: Georgia has made the Playoffs in the past, but now the Bulldogs aren’t at the mercy of Alabama.
Kirby has built an elite level roster; and instead of making it once every ten years, Georgia is going to make it every. single. year.
- Every Second Tier Big 12, Big 10, ACC, and SEC teams.These programs will no longer have to conquer the powerhouse programs in their conference to make the Playoffs.
When the Playoff expansion hit, the first person I thought about was Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. Given his troubles surrounding Tennessee, I’d make a strong case that UCF is a better job than dealing with the SEC.
Most fans don’t view the Group of 5 as worthy of a playoff spot because they don’t play a Power 5 schedule, and/or they don’t recruit at the same level. The Best G5 teams every year still end up very, very good.
Now some of these G5 programs UCF, Cincinnati, SMU and Boise State (to name a few) actually have something to sell. These teams have better resources and support than most of their peers at the same level, and they suddenly have a fighting chance of making the Playoffs on an annual basis, more so than middle tier Power 5 teams.
If the Playoff expansion is approved, UCF, SMU, Cincinnati and Boise State are the real winners in terms of how this will help the schools improve their recruiting.
The losers in this expansion are Notre Dame and the Pac 12. The PAC 12 commissioner and athletic directors want automatic bids for conference winners. Unfortunately, they are likely not alone in this discussion.
Notre Dame cannot receive a playoff bid due to no conference affiliation. Look for the Irish to join the ACC in the near future.
While the College Football Playoff expansion to 12 is expected to be formally approved as soon as August, it’s not going to take effect immediately. The earliest it could take effect is 2023.
When there is more money available, that usually leads to more business opportunities. For college football, more opportunities usually leads to realignment and expansion among conferences.
My question is, will expansion kill the hype around the mid-level bowls games?
Game Changer
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Recruiting at all levels is very important, but programs still need to recruit the high priority positions to recruit real game changers.
The most important game changing recruit is the quarterback, for example. And if your team does not have a great quarterback, then your team will be at a huge disadvantage no matter how many blue chips you have on the rest of the roster.
I saw an article where the “Blue Chip” ratio was given for schools and the top schools were as follows: Alabama 84%, Georgia 80%, Ohio State 79%, Clemson 67%, LSU 66%, Oklahoma 66%, Texas 66%, Florida 66%, Texas A&M 61%.
The SEC led the way with six schools, followed by the Big Ten (3), Big 12, Pac 12 and ACC with two each.
The article defined Blue Chip using the composite star ranking and four and five-star count. The article counted transfers and high school recruits.
For the first time since 2018, the Florida State Seminoles did not make the top ten in Blue-Chip Ratio. Once a recruiting juggernaut, Florida State ratio has fallen below 40%.
The Seminoles currently have 91 players on scholarship and 34 are Blue-Chips. That includes 33 guys who were four or five stars out of high school and UCF transfer McKenzie Milton.
Florida State still has more blue chip talent than most of the ACC (North Carolina State, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Louisville, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, and Virginia Tech).
FSU has recruited a lot of Blue Chips since 2018 but they haven’t lived up to their billing, that’s about the same with every other school as well.
The Seminoles haven’t had a game changer at quarterback since Jameis Winston in 2014, however that will change if McKenzie Milton can stay healthy.
Coach Mike Norvell targeted Milton for several reasons, and his in-game experience was the top of the list.
Milton was the first quarterback commit under Scott Frost and earned the starting job as a true freshman. Milton’s freshman season was a rocky road amassing a 6-7 record.
After that season, Milton and UCF blazed through their schedule, and Milton did not lose another game as quarterback for the Knights.
Milton’s play can help cover up some of the issues the offensive line may have. Milton’s quick release and pre-snap reads of the defense would be two noteworthy traits that make him a difference maker.
I expect Jordan Travis to get snaps because he’s very dynamic running the football to keep Milton off the field.
However, I’m curious to see how Coach Norvell uses his two quarterbacks to their best individual abilities. Let’s hope Norvell is creative with the talent he’s given
There’s an old football cliche that states, “IF YOU HAVE TWO QUARTERBACKS, YOU HAVE NO QUARTERBACK.”
It has been a long time since FSU’s Blue-Chip Ratio has been this low but the Seminoles have a game changer at quarterback, who goes by the name McKenzie Milton.
Offensive Flow
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
During Dan Mullen’s three years as head coach and play caller, Florida has climbed from sixth, to fourth, to third in the SEC total offense.
Also, at this time I’m morally obligated to remind everyone that the 2017 (pre-Mullen) Gator’s offense was ranked 13th in the conference, next to last.
Whether it’s Emory Jones or Anthony Richardson playing quarterback this fall, neither are as accurate as Kyle Trask, nor will they enjoy the luxury of throwing to Kyle Pitts or Kadarius Toney, so it’s imperative the running game is reestablished this season.
Florida has averaged 5+ yards per carry only once in the past 11 years. In 2018, when Lamical Perine, Jordan Scarlett and Dameon Pierce churned out more than 2,000 yards. Mullen was freely deploying quarterback Felipe Franks in the running game.
I think Florida returns to that style of offense this season with Pierce, Malik Davis, Nay’Quan Wright, Lorenzo Lingard and Demarkcus Bowman in a crowded running back room and Jones or Richardson taking 100 plus carries.
If Florida’s offense plays at a similar level as last season, Dan Mullen’s play book will rival Coach Klein’s from the Waterboy. Furthermore, my prediction of Georgia winning the SEC East should be flushed at the Florida Welcome Center on I-75.
It’s not that I think the Gators will stink offensively this year, it’s just that last year’s unit was exceptional, so I’m bracing for descent.
The 7.3 yards per play were the second most in school history behind the 7.4 average in 1995. The 1995 team did not play a SEC only schedule and had the luxury of facing two cupcake schools.
I believe Mullen will field a productive ball control offense. Of course, and as always, the offensive line will ultimately determine the production of this team’s offense.
After two seasons without a quarterback capable of running the ball, Jones and Richardson change the narrative with the verve that Mullen desires.
I’m intrigued to see whether Emory Jones commands the offense, executes the system efficiently, and becomes another of Mullen’s success stories. He’s certainly starting at a point with higher expectations than Kyle Trask.
Because Jones was Mullen’s first quarterback commit, and he has spent 3 years developing ahead of his starting job, I don’t expect Mullen to pull him at the very first sign of trouble.
Jones is such an electric runner with a strong arm that will flourish this fall. Understanding the variations of Mullen’s offense, which changes to fit personnel as well as any in the nation. Jones has the arm to stretch the field deep and the speed to make plays when things break down in the trenches.
The Gators still have a puncher’s chance of returning to Atlanta, and this year is one of those times, when the SEC crossover scheduling imbalance favors Georgia (Arkansas and Auburn). Plus, there’s the undeniable fact that on paper the Bulldogs are loaded!
Florida has yet to reach the College Football Playoffs through its first seven years and the odds of getting there in 2021 will be daunting.
Florida is currently +4000 odds to win the National Championship.
Program Pulse
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is now June and College Football is on the horizon. Time to start speculating about the SEC for 2020, but to do so let’s take a look at SEC won/loss records since 2015.
1.Alabama: 79-6 (.929): Alabama just does not lose many football games that is the bottom line. Nick Saban is the best in the business.
The defending national champions will be the team to beat again in 2021, and should be the team to beat as long as Saban is roaming the sidelines.
Alabama lost some skill people from 2020 so we will see who steps up this fall for the Tide.
- Georgia: 62-17 (.785): A friend calls yesterday and says it is now or never for Kirby and UGA. Really?
UGA is a team that has been winning a lot of football games. They just haven’t beaten Alabama when it matters most.
Does that mean UGA is a program that under produces? Nope it means that Kirby continues to build a monster in Athens.
Opposing fans insert your 1980 comebacks here. Critics say Kirby is not a good game coach and folks like Dan Mullen are better.
I know many Florida fans that would trade Mullen for Kirby if the opportunity arose. I don’t know a single UGA fan that would trade Kirby for Mullen. Think about that for a second.
- LSU: 56-19 (.747): 2019 National Champs. It feels like the Tigers are on the decline now under Coach O, doesn’t it? This program will always have elite talent, but 2021 is an unknown for LSU.
- Florida: 52-24 (.684): No championships since 2008. Try this on for size Florida fans:
2011 – With zero HC experience, Florida hires Will Muschamp for $2.7m/year.
2012 – Florida extends Will Muschamp (picked up option year) after going 7-6.
2014 – Florida buys out Will Muschamp for $6m and fires him.
2014 – Florida pays $7m to Colorado State to buy out and hire Jim McElwain for $3.5m/year.
June 2017 – After zero championships and one 10+ win season, Florida agrees to an extension and raise for Jim McElwain.
October 2017 – Florida buys out Jim McElwain for $7.5m and fires him.
2017 – Florida pays Mississippi State $500k to buy out and hire Dan Mullen (who had zero championships in Starkville) for around $6m/year
2021 – Still after zero championships, Florida agrees to an extension and raise for Dan Mullen to $7.6m per season after giving up 55 points in his last game coached against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Florida fans wonder out loud why their ticket prices are going thru the roof.
- Texas A&M: 49-26 (.653): $75 million dollar question is can Jimbo beat Alabama? So far, the answer is no.
- Auburn: 48-29 (.623): The Gus Bus has been retired, and now Auburn is starting over once again. Sound familiar Auburn fans?
- Kentucky: 42-33 (.560): This is a program that has exceeded expectations recently. Could surprise in 2021.
- Mississippi State: 42-34 (.553): Better than expected for this bottom feeder. In fishing circles, a Catfish is known as a bottom feeder. If you pulled a nice cat from the bottom of the Mississippi River today it may have a State logo stamped on it.
- Tennessee: 38-35 (.520): UT football is a dumpster fire. It may take years for this proud program to recover and the NCAA has not even dropped the hammer yet.
- Ole Miss: 35-36 (.493): Program on the rise. This could be an elite SEC program in a short period of time. Keep an eye on Ole Miss.
- Missouri: 35-37 (.486): Another program on the rise.
- South Carolina: 31-42 (.425): Carolina stays up at night obsessing over Clemson. Until they clear that hurdle, they will never be a factor in SEC Football.
- Arkansas: 26-46 (.361): The Pit Boss has Arkansas on the rise. This is a proud football program that is on the road to recovery.
- Vanderbilt: 24-47 (.338): Baseball school. Come on Vandy make another trip to Omaha in a couple of weeks.
Extension
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There are stories out everywhere, on June 1, 2021 the dead-period was lifted.
For those who forgot about COVID-19 already, and all the restrictions around that, it means the return of camps on campus, unofficial/official visits and workouts on campus.
For the first time since January 2020, official visits return to college campuses. For the record, an official visit means the college is able to finance the trip for the recruit. Recruits and their families can take five visits total but only once per school.
The Florida Gators wasted little time getting recruits back in The Swamp, as they had their Summer Kick Off event on June 1st.
With all that pent up recruiting energy ready to be released, the plans for a return to “normal” are anything but, unfortunately. Florida Gators have official visits scheduled for every June weekend. Camps are already planned out and for the first time ever, players can work out for coaches.
Florida coach Dan Mullen said, “it will be waves upon waves upon waves upon waves of kids coming to visit.”
Throw in the transfer portal. And don’t forget the new one-time transfer rule. Did the waves just get larger?
All of it is another example of college football essentially coming down to a simple declarative statement: It’s all about recruiting.
The Gators have camps scheduled the entire month of June: June 7, Skills and Drills Camp; June 9, 16 & 23 7 vs 7 Gator Shootout and OLine/DLine Big man Challenge; June 14 Top Gun QB/WR Camp, In the Trenches Camp and Skills Academy for RB, DB & LB; June 25 Elite Individual Camp.
June 2021 is the biggest recruiting month in the history of recruiting.
Florida administration has been so impressed with the recruiting job; they have given Coach Dan Mullen a three-year contract extension that gives him a significant raise. Under the terms of Mullen’s new contract agreement, he will be the coach at Florida through the 2026 season.
The new extension will also raise Mullen’s annual compensation total to $7.6 million for each year remaining on his deal. With a raise of about $1.5 million per season, the financial breakdown varies by year.
USA Today shows Mullen is now the fourth highest paid coach in 2021.
