SEC Survival Time
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The last time an SEC team won the men’s college basketball national championship was Kentucky in 2012.
The last team to play in the national championship game was Kentucky in 2014.
Obviously, the Wildcats are the most successful program in the conference. This season the SEC has been the best basketball conference in the nation. Let’s take a look at the top teams as they head into the SEC Tournament.
# 3 Auburn: The Tigers (27-4) lost their season finale to archrival #5 Alabama 93-91 over the weekend.
They also lost to Texas A&M before that so they are on a two-game losing streak.
Despite that, they are still the top seed in the SEC Tournament. The top four seeds have a bye for the first two rounds of the tournament.
They are led by veteran head coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl was the head coach at Tennessee from 2005-11. He took over at Auburn in 2014 and they did reach the Final Four once in the 2018-19 season. They are led by senior forward Johni Broome. He averages 18.6 points per game and 10.6 assists per game.
They will face the winner of Ole Miss and South Carolina/Arkansas.
# 4 Florida: The Gators (27-4) are the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Head coach Todd Golden is in his third season in Gainesville and they have improved every year. Last year they made it to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and lost in the round of 64.
This season they have a chance to be a No. 1 seed, which would make the path to the Final Four much easier.
The team’s leading scorer is senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. with 17.2 ppg. Sophomore forward Alex Condon leads the team with 8 rpg and 11.4 ppg.
They will face the winner of Mizzou and LSU/Miss State.
# 5 Alabama: The Crimson Tide (24-7) have been good at basketball for the last few years. That’s because of head coach Nate Oats, who was hired in 2019.
They made it to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons. They went to the Final Four last year and the Sweet 16 twice.
Senior guard Mark Sears averages 19.2 ppg and 5 apg. Senior forward Grant Nelson averages 12.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Bama is the third seed so they will play the winner of Kentucky and Oklahoma/Georgia.
# 8 Tennessee: The Vols (25-6) are the fourth SEC team ranked in the top ten. They are a very good team but they are inconsistent. They have been swept by Kentucky and have lost to Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Florida beat them by 30 points in early January. They got revenge in February when they beat them by 20.
Head coach Rick Barnes has been in Knoxville since 2015. He’s led the Vols to the NCAA Tournament six times. They advanced the Elite Eight last season and they have been to the Sweet 16 twice.
Senior guard Chaz Lanier averages 17.9 ppg. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler is the second leading scorer with 13.1 ppg. Tennessee is the fourth seed and they will face Texas A&M or Texas/Vanderbilt.
# 15 Texas A&M: The Aggies (22-9) had a four-game losing streak before winning the final two games of the season. One of those wins was against Auburn. They are the fifth seed and will play the winner of Vandy/Texas.
The Players
By: Joe Delaney
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the locals throughout north Florida and South Georgia are currently shaking off the February blues weather wise. They know it’s time to get going!
One of the major weeks of the year for this area is right around the corner. Yes it’s time for the Players Championship.
This year’s edition brings in some real drama. And that’s before anyone has pulled a stick out of the bag and ripped one down the Par 4, 423-yard first hole.
Let’s get right to it. Can Scottie do it again? In 2023 Scheffler got hot mid round on Sunday and walked away with his first Players.
The next year it was Scottie coming from behind and going low in the final round to win his second in a row. Now begs the question? Three in a row? It’s never been done.
In order to break new ground at Sawgrass with a third in a row, Scheffler will have to be on his game. The consensus World’s #1 has lately been just that, on his game. Can anyone knock him out in Jacksonville? There are quite a few wanting to take a shot.
THE BIG BOYS:
BRIAN THOMAS: The 2021 champion has been playing well. With 3 top 10s in 5 starts this year, Justin can come in and let her rip. He knows the course well and is a crowd favorite. If he can get in the mix on Sunday, watch out.
RORY: Well, of course.
LUDVIG ABERG: Guess I should put him in here since he won the RSM in 2023 right? Not hardly, the young Swede is cool, calm and dangerous. He is rapidly becoming one of the best of the rising young guns in the game. If he plays his game watch out!
XANDER: Coming back from a rib injury. He may be in the field but I think we are asking a little much.
DON’T BET AGAINST:
BRIAN HARMAN: A tough go for the St Simons Island pro recently. But his last 4 results have gotten consistently better. If he is in it on Sunday, there will be a lot of people pulling for this guy.
KEEGAN BRADLEY: No one scares this guy. He hasn’t made any noise lately but if he can just take out that one bad round he seems to be having in the last few weeks, he could surprise.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: He has been around the top 10 numerous times. Consistent, calm, and lethal. I would not give this Brit a break. Do so at your own peril guys!
LONGSHOTS:
SAHITH THEEGALA: The steady, young, 27-year-old pro. A win here would really move his career forward. He’s definitely a long shot, but he is due.
HARRIS ENGLISH: Another veteran St. Simons pro who is playing well with a win earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open. He has all the tools and temperament to have his time to shine.
RICKIE FOWLER: It feels funny making Rickie a longshot, but the former winner is that. Put him in the final grouping on Sunday and then watch him drop one real close on 17! How much fun would that be!
So, can someone above or in the field catch Scottie? Well, the odds say that a three-peat would be very difficult.
My vote? Let er rip Scottie. The guy is on fire. He won 7 tournaments last year. In 5 years on the tour, he has played in 133 events and made the cut 114 times! His winnings over that time are over 70 million dollars. When you’re hot, you’re hot!
If you get a chance to get tickets to the Players, by all means GO! It is everything a great tournament should be.
The Fans, the golf course, and the community all come together. And a Sunday final with a seat on the hill at the 17th should be on every golfer’s bucket list.
Soaring Eagle
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In this crazy business of sports media that we love, one of my favorite parts of it is the relationships that you create and grow over the years.
One that I’ve been blessed to grow for over a decade now is with Georgia Southern Baseball head coach Rodney Hennon.
Last week on a weekend game in Buies Creek, NC, Coach Hennon collected his 860th career win at Georgia Southern in a game against Campbell.
With that win, he passed legendary head coach Jack Stallings to become the all-time winningest coach in Georgia Southern Baseball history.
That feat for any college baseball coach raises eyebrows but for a program like Georgia Southern, that is a monumental accomplishment.
Georgia Southern Baseball has been consistently one of the best and most respected baseball programs in the mid-major ranks because of the consistency.
That consistency isn’t only in wins and on-field successes (which has been plentiful over the years), but also within the staff. Rodney Hennon is in his 26th season at the helm of the Eagle Baseball program and only adds to the lore of Georgia Southern baseball of continuity at the top of the program.
Since 1949, the blue and white have only seen five head coaches. Two of those five have their names on the facility Georgia Southern calls home in J.I. Clements (Stadium) who was the head man from 1949-1966 and in 1968 along with Jack Stallings (Field) who manned the dugout for twenty-four years from 1976 until 1999.
The other two are Ron Polk (1972-1975) who is regarded as the “Father of SEC Baseball” with his career at Mississippi State, and Bill Spieth who led the Eagles for four years in the early 70’s.
While it’s impressive what Hennon has been able to do as the longest tenure head coach in Eagle history, it’s the consistency of excellence that rises above.
In the 25 previous seasons under Coach Hennon, Georgia Southern Baseball has won 30 games in all but two of those and have seen 40 wins in eight seasons including 2022 when Georgia Southern secured the 16 seed in the NCAA postseason and hosted the first ever regional in Statesboro.
Although the list of accomplishments for Hennon could cover the Blue Monster wall in right field at J.I. Clements Stadium, when talking to those closest to “10” like former players, coaches, staffers, etc., the first thing that comes up is the character and the type of man Coach Hennon is day in and day out.
Getting to see and get to know Coach Hennon for the 10 years I was lucky enough to cover Georgia Southern Baseball for the Georgia Southern Sports Network and was one of the true pleasures of my career to this point.
He truly is one of the greatest molders of young men I’ve been around. There’s a lot of “old school” coach in him where when someone needs a wakeup call, he will get into a player, but it’s always coming from a place of caring about them both as a player, but even more-so as a young man.
Coach Hennon credits a lot of his mentors to not only his dad, Lamar, but also Keith LeClair and Jack Leggett from his days at Western Carolina both as a player and coach.
The great part of this is the tree doesn’t end with the branch of Coach Hennon. While we’ve mentioned the impact that “Skip” had on his players, it also applies to those that were lucky enough to coach with him.
Names like BJ Green, who was the pitching coach for Hennon for many years has since moved on to be the Associate Head Coach at UAB.
Recently Alan Beck was the hitting coach for the Eagles who took the head coaching job at both his and Coach Hennon’s alma mater Western Carolina after the 2022 season.
Jason Richman, who was not only a standout pitcher for Coach Hennon, but also on his staff for a few years is now the Director of Pitching for Georgia Tech Baseball.
The list goes on and on of those impacted by the coach, mentor, and man of God that Rodney Hennon is and now (and likely forever) holds the distinction of the winningest coach in Georgia Southern Baseball history.
Charlie Hustle
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is reviewing a request for Pete Rose to be removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list, which could lead to his eventual selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he planned to posthumously pardon Rose and advocated for MLB to rescind Rose’s lifetime ban, which was issued in 1989 after he was found to be betting on baseball. Rose died on Sept. 30, 2024, at age 83.
Any presidential pardon would be entirely unrelated to MLB’s disciplinary process, which is what has kept Rose out of the Hall of Fame. Trump didn’t specify what he would pardon.
Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for submitting falsified tax returns in 1990.
An investigation into Rose showed that he bet on baseball both as a player and a manager while with the Cincinnati Reds.
Rose served as the Reds’ player-manager from August 1984 until 1986. He continued to manage the Reds after he stopped playing.
Rose denied gambling on baseball at the time. He later claimed he had an understanding that he could apply for reinstatement a year after agreeing to the punishment.
Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, died eight days after Rose’s banishment. His successor, Fay Vincent, never heard Rose’s appeal.
After denying illegal bets on baseball for nearly 15 years, Rose admitted it in his 2004 book, “My Prison Without Bars.” Later, he signed and sold baseballs with the inscription, “Sorry I bet on baseball.”
So how do we get Pete in the Hall?
The first step would be removal from the MLB’s permanently ineligible list.
Rose voluntarily agreed to his punishment in 1989 after an investigation determined he violated baseball’s rules against gambling on the sport.
If Rose is deemed eligible, he would not be on the ballot sent to the Hall of Fame voters from the BBWAA every November.
Instead, he would be subject to the voting process of the Era Committee, formerly and more colloquially known as the Veterans Committee. If and after that, then he would be on the ballot.
Here are cheatin’ Pete Rose’s greatest contributions to the game — the NL Rookie of the Year in 1963, the NL Most Valuable Player in 1973, three batting titles, two World Series titles and two more NL pennants, the bulk of his 4,256 hits — came before 1980. Rose won another World Series with the Phillies in 1980, appeared in the World Series with Philadelphia in 1983 and broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record in 1985.
The Classic Baseball Era committee meets every three years and will hold its next vote in December 2027, meaning Rose’s next opportunity at induction will likely come in July of 2028.
For Rose’s family’s appeal to be successful, Manfred will have to rescind previous statements that permanent banishment is the appropriate punishment for players, managers, and MLB staff for gambling on baseball.
Rose sent a letter to Manfred in 2022 asking for forgiveness.
It’s finally time for Manfred, the 55+ baseball writers, and fans to forgive Pete.
Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose has claimed to have paid his debt to baseball and his family wants the proper closure and the financial gain of having a hall of fame family member.
Pete to the Hall!
Wildcat Wrestling
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Camden County’s boys’ wrestling team isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
The Wildcats dominated in Macon two weekends ago, locking up their 11th straight state championship with a runaway 303.5-point performance—more than 80 points ahead of second-place Buford.
Leading the charge were three-time champs Bradley Patterson and Ryder Wilder, along with first-time winners Isaac Santos and Brock Weaver.
But it was a full-team effort that made the difference, with 14 wrestlers earning top six finishes and eight making it to the finals.
For an understanding of Camden Wrestling’s continued dominance, consider that the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) created the 7-A classification in 2016, and the Wildcats have won the state championship in wrestling every year since 2014.
The GHSA did away with the 7-A classification at the end of the 2024 school year, making 6-A the highest classification in the state. This means that in the history books of Georgia high school wrestling, Camden County will remain the ONLY squad to have ever won a 7-A wrestling state championship.
Camden set the tone early and never looked back, outscoring every team across all classifications. Head coach Jess Wilder knew his team had the firepower to finish the job, but he didn’t want them getting too comfortable.
“Two years ago, we were down by 28 points going into the last day, and a lot of these guys remember that because they were freshmen,” Wilder said. “We came back and won that year, so we knew we couldn’t take our foot off the gas.”
Camden finished with four individual champions: Patterson (113), Wilder (190), Santos (120), and Weaver (157).
They also had four runners-up—Cane Smolarsky (126), Rod Zow (144), Jamaal Coppedge (165), and Brian Wright (175)—plus several other key contributors. Brandon Higgins (132), Hunter Prosen (138), and Joseph Schulze (285) placed third, Waylon Rozier (150) and Caleb Gaskin (215) finished fourth, and Clayton Newton (106) took fifth.
Buford had the same number of finalists as Camden, but their lack of depth hurt them. “That’s why we win state,” Wilder said. “Our depth is what separates us. Our guys who battled back through the consolation rounds made a huge difference.”
Wilder and Patterson were nearly untouchable. Wilder pinned his finals opponent in just 27 seconds, with his other two pins lasting 31 and 49 seconds.
Patterson was just as dominant, racking up two pins in 25 seconds total before winning his semifinal and final by technical fall, including a 16-0 shutout in the championship match.
Santos fought through a tough semifinal before rolling to a 16-0 title win, while Weaver capped off his run with an 11-3 major decision.
Other Wildcats put together strong performances as well, with Smolarsky, Zow, Coppedge, and Wright all making the finals.
Higgins had one of the fastest pins of the tournament—just five seconds—before winning third place with a clutch 3-1 decision.
The boys weren’t the only ones making headlines. Breanna Higgins tore through the girls’ 100-pound bracket, pinning all four of her opponents to claim a state title.
She finished things off with a second-period pin in the finals after making quick work of the competition leading up to it.
With 15 total state placers between the boys’ and girls’ teams, Camden County once again showed why it’s the top wrestling program in Georgia.
The Wildcats keep setting the bar—and they don’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon.
New Lead Jag
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jacksonville Jaguars recently hired Los Angeles Rams director of scouting James Gladstone as their next general manager.
Gladstone, 34, becomes the NFL’s youngest GM, and joins the Jaguars after nine seasons with the Rams.
First hired as a senior assistant in 2016, Gladstone became their player personnel coordinator, director of scouting strategy, and director of special projects before becoming director of scouting in 2021.
“It’s my honor to introduce James Gladstone as the new general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Claims Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Gladstone’s job offer is about one month after the Jag’s fired Trent Baalke after four unsuccessful seasons.
Jacksonville also enters the 2025 season with new head coach Liam Coen, and a new executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli (a franchise great) joining the front office earlier this month.
The Jaguars ended the 2024 season at 4-13 and third in the AFC South. Jacksonville has the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In 2019, the Rams began a quiet overhaul of many of their draft and scouting processes under Les Snead and then-executive Brad Holmes.
When Holmes got the Detroit Lions job in 2021, Gladstone ascended to his top role within the department and was generally thought of as Snead’s right hand in Los Angeles.
Gladstone took on the overhaul, and he led the Rams into advanced processes by collaborating with Snead, Sean McVay, and other analysts to blend McVay’s on-field vision with the identification of middle- and late-round draft picks. At that time the Rams were dependent on these mid-to-late bloomers because they did not have first-round picks.
Gladstone ran the Rams’ scouting and draft meetings year-round but also put a scout’s eye on prospects himself and evaluated each class alongside the remote senior scouts.
Gladstone, Jake Temme and Nicole Blake evolved the Rams’ internal scouting system, called JAARS, into a blend of analytics modeling, scouting intel, reporting, filings, medical and psychological profiles (for current and prospective players), and coaching analysis and intel to connect every piece of the Rams’ building together.
After the picks-for-players model and subsequent Super Bowl-winning season in 2021, the Rams imploded from an organization standpoint in 2022. They opted to take on a record amount of dead money while shedding veteran players and high dollar contracts.
With Gladstone as scouting director, they drafted 14 rookies and brought in 26 undrafted free agents, and five of them became starters (including star receiver Puka Nacua, and Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists Kobie Turner and Byron Young).
In 2024, the first season since 2016 that the Rams had a first-round pick, the 10-member class also featured five starters including Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and finalist Braden Fiske.
The Jags start the season with a new coach, a new GM, and a new vice president of football operations.
Let’s hope this overhaul in the front office will create wins on the field.
The Combine
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s that time of year again. NFL Combine week is here!
As a long-suffering fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the end of February is when hope springs eternal. The annual scouting showcase kicks off in Indianapolis, bringing together top college prospects, NFL coaches, scouts, and media for a jam-packed week of workouts, interviews, and nonstop rumors.
While most fans tune in for the 40-yard dashes and bench press reps, this event is just as much about front-office chatter, draft strategy, and free agency buzz.
The combine runs from February 24 to March 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium, with on-field workouts starting Wednesday. Players will be split into different position groups throughout the week:
Wednesday, Feb. 26 – Kickers & Punters (Workouts) | Punters, Kickers, DL, LB (Media)
Thursday, Feb. 27 – Defensive Linemen & Linebackers (Workouts) | DBs & TEs (Media)
Friday, Feb. 28 – Defensive Backs & Tight Ends (Workouts) | RBs, WRs, QBs (Media)
Saturday, March 1 – Running Backs, Wide Receivers & Quarterbacks (Workouts) | O-Line (Media)
Sunday, March 2 – Offensive Linemen (Workouts) | No Media Availability
For Jaguars fans, this is a big week. Head coach Liam Coen and new GM James Gladstone, who spent the last nine years as the scouting director with the Los Angeles Rams, spoke to the media on Tuesday, giving us insight into their offseason plans and how they envision the new-look Jags to come together.
Executive VP Tony Boselli is due to speak to the media on Wednesday. This will be one of the first real updates from the new leadership since Coen’s introductory press conference.
While the combine is all about scouting draft prospects, there’s always free agency talk going on behind the scenes.
The official free agency period starts March 12 at 4 p.m., but teams can begin negotiating March 10.
The franchise tag deadline is March 4, so this week will be a key time for teams to decide whether to lock up their biggest free agents before they hit the market.
For Jacksonville, offensive line, defensive line, and secondary are top priorities. Running back isn’t a huge need since Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby are under contract, but with Etienne set to hit free agency in 2026 and a deep RB class in this draft, the Jags could still grab one for the future.
Jacksonville holds nine picks in the 2025 draft, including the No. 5 overall selection. They’re expected to focus on the trenches, especially the defensive line. Here are a few big name D-line prospects to keep an eye on:
Mason Graham (DT, Michigan) – He’s been one of the most popular mock draft picks for the Jags. If he puts up big numbers at the combine, he could solidify himself as the best defensive tackle in the draft.
Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan) – Another Michigan beast on the D-line. He’s huge and athletic, and if he tests as well as expected, his draft stock could explode.
Cam Jackson (DT, Florida) – The Jags love drafting Gators, and Jackson could be the next in line. He ended his college career strong and could boost his stock with a solid performance this week.
Once the combine wraps up, all eyes turn to free agency (March 12) and the NFL Draft (April 24-26).
This week will give us a better idea of what the Jaguars might do, whether it’s locking in their draft strategy or making moves in free agency.
Get ready for a week of rumors, scouting reports, and plenty of buzz around the future of the franchise. Can this long-suffering Jags fan dare to dream?!
Sophomore Encore
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This time a year ago, the name Drew Burress stirred up some buzz on the flats as the Houston County native was just beginning what would turn into one of the most spectacular seasons (let alone freshman years) in Georgia Tech Baseball history.
Last season would turn into so many accolades from ACC Freshman of the Year to Freshman All-American even the D1 Baseball and Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year, but what is Drew Burress beyond the stat sheets?
Start at the beginning of the college career for the former Houston County High standout. Burress was seriously on several teams’ draft boards for around the third or fourth round, but his commitment to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets stood firm unless a first-round call would come.
Coming into the 2024 season, Jackets Head Coach Danny Hall said multiple times through pre-season media availability that there were two things that Drew wasn’t shy about…He wanted to be a first-round pick, and he wanted to graduate from Georgia Tech in three years.
Georgia Tech Baseball has had twelve first round selections over the years, but in the 130 years of Georgia Tech Baseball nobody has ever graduated in three years while playing baseball.
Burress was a highly heralded recruit and was rated as the 6th best player in the nation that made it to a college campus, but the first inning of his career didn’t pan out as everyone expected.
Burress was the leadoff man for the 2024 season, and in his debut at-bat, Drew would strikeout. The Jackets, however, had an impressive bottom of the first inning against Radford and batted around, so Burress came up for a second time in the inning. Alas, Burress would strike out again for the second time in his first inning of college baseball.
As Burress returned to the dugout after the second, Head Coach Danny Hall put his arm around Drew and said, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll homer next time.”
Little did Coach Hall know how right he would be because not only did Burress do just that and launch his first career homerun in the next at-bat, but he would homer in both of the next two at-bats.
As we mentioned, the accolades would roll in for Burress as a freshman in 2024 and so did the records.
Burress set the Georgia Tech freshman homerun record with 25 long balls on the season shattering Jeremy Slayden’s previous record of 18.
He also would become just the twelfth Jacket to win the team triple crown (lead the team in average, home runs, and RBI), and the first since Matt Gonzalez did it in 2016.
Burress also became just the third Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket to be named a National Freshman of the Year by a major publication joining Mark Teixeira and Derek Dietrich.
Finally, while the offensive exploits get so much of the attention, he also rewrote the defensive records by setting the record for outfield assists in a season by gunning down ten assists in the year.
After the heralded freshman campaign, Burress’ hunger for the game and improving his craft has only grown.
In a work ethic like I’ve never seen, especially in someone so young, a lot of it comes from his family.
Drew’s dad, Andy Burress, was a baseball player back in his day after being a 6th round pick and playing in the Reds organization.
After his playing career, Andy founded and continues to run one of the premier travel ball organizations in the country with 5 Star National which has produced an extensive list of draft picks and college signees.
Even with all of the accolades, and in a time where college athletes get the mantra of “only concerned about the money” Burress couldn’t be farther from that.
Through the 2025 preseason, Burress said “I’m not worried about the stat lines if we’re in Omaha (for the College World Series).”
I’m fortunate enough to get to call Drew Burress dazzle every game on the Georgia Tech Sports Network, but the most dazzling part of the young man isn’t the on-field prowess.
The most impressive part of the Georgia Tech’s sophomore is how he carries himself through all the publicity and all the success.
The guy is a grinder, coming to the ballpark every day trying to be as good as he can be while also leading by example and showing a young Georgia Tech team how the best in the game goes about doing it.
I can’t wait to see what this year turns out to be in, what Wiley Ballard called in Burress’ Walk-off Grand Slam call his “sophomore encore.”
The Gear
By: Brian Albertson
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As a Class A member of the PGA, I attend the annual PGA merchandise show for various reasons.
This year marked my 30th trip to Orlando for the show. The show is always the launchpad for the newest, most innovative products in the golf industry.
For PGA members, this is also an opportunity for mandatory continuing education credits, and networking with fellow professionals from around the world.
But for the average golfer the PGA show is almost beyond words in size and scope. This year marked the largest turnout in 15 years as over 33,000 golf industry professionals from every state and nearly 100 countries came together again in Orlando to view displays and booths from over 1,100 golf industry vendors.
The Orange County Convention Center covers many acres, and the show floor is divided into three distinct categories of vendors.
It is traditional that the far right of the building is the apparel showcase with every brand of golf clothing, headwear and accessories that you have ever heard of and many new lines.
Honestly, PGA professionals and buyers for their respective golf shops are most likely seen in the apparel section meeting with their apparel reps for personal viewings of their favorite lines. It is also easy to stroll by every company to see if something catches your interest. As the show is in January, the apparel companies are primarily showing fall and holiday offerings for the same year.
The middle of the show floor highlights golf industry needs such as carts, range, trophies, travel, teaching, clubhouse, software.
This is where I spent most of my time this year comparing all the different launch monitors for teaching in club fitting. We have recently expanded our Golf learning center to three bays, and I was charged to properly outfit our facility with the newest technology. I have used Trackman and Flightscope in the past but fell in love with the new Foresight equipment this year.
Lastly, the left side of the show floor is where you find all the golf clubs and ball companies with massive displays of every product that they offer.
Each major golf club company has a booth the size of a grocery store. This is where all the fun happens and where most of the general golf enthusiasts’ traffic is during the PGA show.
If you were at the show, we all love the game and we all can’t wait to see the new products that launch the week of the PGA merchandise show.
This year did not disappoint as Callaway launched their new Elyte family of clubs. Titleist introduced their new version of the ProV 1 golf ball and Vokey wedges. The new pings, Taylor maids and Mizuno were all popular with the Mizuno STZ driver coming in at the best value of $299.
If you’ve never been to the PGA merchandise show, I highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed, and it is always exciting. I hope to see you all In Orlando next January!!!
In the meantime, happy golfing.
Big Red River
By: Jeff Doke
The SouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jordan Triplett knows a thing or two about making moves on the football field. Now, he’s making a big one off the field.
The Class of 2024 Frederica Academy alum is transferring to Cornell University.
Triplett entered the NCAA Transfer Portal earlier in the month after spending his first year in college at Air Force Academy.
While he was impressive in practice and dressed for several games, Jordan did not take the field for a single down in the regular season.
While disappointing, this was not surprising, considering AFA Head Coach Troy Calhoun hasn’t used a freshman in-game since his second year at the helm in 2007.
Contributing to his decision to enter the portal was the speculation that he would still be at best 3rd string in the Falcon’s Running Back room, leaving him with only two years at best to make his case with the NFL.
At Cornell, Triplett is expected to contribute on the field immediately and will still have 4 years of eligibility remaining.
Located in Ithica, New York, Cornell University plays in the Ivy League Conference and is one of the oldest football programs in the country. Known as “The Big Red,” Cornell claims five National Championships – the most recent in 1939 – and three Conference Championships in 1971, 1988, and 1990.
Triplett joins the team for the second season under Head Coach Dan Swanstrom. While the team went 4-6 in his first year at the helm, Swanstrom does have an impressive all time head coaching record of 36-17, including three conference championships while leading the Ithica College Bombers of the D-III Liberty League.
While in the portal, Jordan received offers from seven other schools including Carson Newman, San Diego, Marist, Stetson, Elon, and Idaho State.
The final decision came down to Cornell and the 2023 D-II National Champion Harding University Bisons, who offered Triplett a full scholarship as well as an NIL package. The decision between the two was not an easy one according to Jordan’s father Mark Triplett.
“If Jordan would have went to Harding, he would be able to compete for a National Championship,” said the elder Triplett.
“Harding is a good school academically but Jordan has always looked for schools with strong academics. He wanted to play in the Ivy League because he knows that an education from there would set him up for life. He strongly considered Columbia before he went to Air Force, but there was so much going on in NYC at the time he reconsidered.”
While recommendations from Frederica’s Head Coach Brandon Derrick and his staff – as well as Glynn Academy Head Coach Rocky Hidalgo – helped to get the conversation with Cornell started, the chemistry has been easily established.
“(Jordan) met the RB coach (Assistant Coach Terry Ursin) in person and has spoken with the head coach and offensive coordinators a lot over the last couple of weeks,” explains Mark.
“He knows he has to compete, but (Cornell’s) offensive system is more suited for him than playing Fullback at Air Force. Harding has a similar offense as Air Force, and Jordan wanted to play RB in a more traditional way”
Jordan Triplett is the All-time High School Rushing Leader in the state of Georgia. In his four years at Frederica, he rushed for 9,028 yards and is the only player in Georgia history to eclipse the 9,000-yard mark.
He also tied the all-time Georgia single season rushing record 3,172 yards, is #3 on the all-time touchdown list with 115, and is the only player in Georgia high school history with multiple 400-yard rushing performances (3).
Cornell opens their 2025 campaign on the road at University at Albany (NY) on September 20 and has their home opener against Colgate on October 4.
