Pretenders Rising Up
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are more than halfway through the NFL season. We are learning who the contenders and pretenders are.
We have to classify the Atlanta Falcons as pretenders. They played the Colts (8-2) in Berlin and lost in overtime, 31-25. This is their fourth straight loss.
“We had plenty of opportunities to win it,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We’ve just got to find a way to get better, whether it’s stopping the run, whether it’s covering kicks better, returning the ball better or converting on third down — all the things that kind of hurt us today.”
Michael Penix completed 12 of 28 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. That means he completed 43% of his passes. That’s not good enough. He also holds onto the ball too long.
“We’ve just got to stay together,” Penix said. “We’ve got to stay together, continue to trust in our game plan each and every week. We’ve just got to execute when it’s needed the most.”
The Falcons took a 25-22 lead with 1:44 left in regulation after Tyler Allgeier scored his second rushing touchdown. The defense allowed Colts running back Jonathan Taylor to have the best day of his career. He had an 83-yard TD run that is the longest rush of the season, his career and in Colts’ franchise history. He finished with 244 rushing yards and 3 scores.
“Mike played well,” Morris said. “Mike played well, like he always does.”
I’m assuming the head coach is trying to protect his second-year QB but Penix does not always play well. We can just take this last game as an example. We can also point to Week 3 when they lost 30-0 at Carolina.
Atlanta has now fallen to 3-6. I think one issue is they seem to play to the level of their competition. I used the blowout loss to the Panthers earlier as an example. In Week 8 they played Miami at home. The Dolphins were 1-6 entering that game and they beat Atlanta 34-10. Penix was injured so Kirk Cousins was the starter but that is still a team they should beat.
In Week 6 they beat Buffalo at home on Monday Night Football, 24-14. The Bills were 4-1 going into that game. Atlanta played much better against a team that is thought to be a Super Bowl contender. After this game Buffalo beat Kansas City then got blown out by Miami.
We are only in Morris’ second season but I think Atlanta needs to look at moving on from him as soon as possible. They finished 8-9 last season and came within one game of making the playoffs. The way this season is going I don’t think they have a chance of making the playoffs. I think the old Jim Mora rant about playoffs should be played if anyone on this team talks about getting to the post season.
Their next three games are Carolina (5-5), at New Orleans (2-8) and at the New York Jets (2-7). On paper these are games that they should win but we cannot count on that with this team.
I think they have to win all of these games before heading into Week 14 against Seattle (7-2). The following week is at Tampa Bay (6-3).
We will have to see how this plays out but I think the franchise would be smart to fire Morris and bring in a good coaching candidate sooner rather than later.
Plain Candidates
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After Auburn lost 10-3 to a Kentucky team that was on a 10-game SEC losing streak, it was obvious head coach Hugh Greeze’s time with the Tigers was over.
In his third season, the program was floundering, with a 6-16 mark in SEC play. The offensive-minded head coach’s teams had been held to 17 points or less in 11 of those 22 games.
Whether the job is considered on the level of LSU and Florida or Arkansas depends on who you ask.
Gene Chizik did win a national title at Auburn within the last 20 years, but this Auburn program hasn’t won more than six games in a season since 2019. And it has often been very volatile SEC standards.
The Tigers should have some good options, but the candidate pool feels like a mixed bag between Group of 6 upstarts and retreads.
Last time, Auburn pursued Lane Kiffin before Freeze ended up with the job. We doubt Kiffin will be in play this time around. If he gets tempted to leave Oxford now, maybe it’s for Florida or LSU, but not Auburn. However, there is one sitting Power 4 coach we could see the Tigers pursuing hard.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2019, the Tigers’ last good season. 35-year-old Dillingham has been fantastic at his alma mater, taking the Sun Devils into the College Football Playoff in Year 2 and then almost knocking off Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal.
Arizona State finished 11-3 and No. 7. The Sun Devils are off to a 6-3 start this season.
They recently beat Iowa State in Ames despite losing their star quarterback Sam Leavitt for the season with a foot injury.
Dillingham is one of the most energetic and creative coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision, but would he leave his home for this job? Especially when he has an easier path to the Playoff in the Big 12 than he would in the SEC?
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall seems like another very attractive option here. The 43-year-old former SEC linebacker and Alabama native has coached in the conference at Kentucky and Ole Miss and did very well within the state in his first head coaching job at Troy, in the state. He’s 38-11 as a head coach and has the presence and authenticity that Freeze seems to lack.
The list of other G6 head coaches we think will be in play starts with Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield, a 45-year-old former NFL offensive line coach who keeps piling up wins, going 29-6 the past three years. Memphis could be a Playoff team this year, which could muck up the timing if Auburn really wants him.
South Florida coach Alex Golesh, formerly Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, took over a hapless program and got it going. The Bulls, who are 6-2 with a blowout win against Boise State and road win over Florida, also have legit CFP hopes this season. Golesh, we hear, also is drawing a lot of interest from Oklahoma State, where he spent a season as a grad assistant under Mike Gundy.
Southern Miss coach Charles Huff, a 42-year-old former Alabama assistant, did a very good job at Marshall, where he had a 10-3 season and won the Sun Belt championship last year.
In his debut season at Southern Miss, which had won a total of four games over the previous two years, he has the Golden Eagles 6-2 and in contention for a Sun Belt title.
The other intriguing option is former Texas A&M and FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, who is now doing TV work for the ACC Network.
He took the Seminoles to a national title following the 2013 season and led the Aggies to a No. 4 finish in 2020.
He did get a boatload of cash to leave College Station after things really fizzled out there, but his 45-25 record was a lot better than anything the Tigers have been doing of late.
It’s worth noting things also fell apart for him in Tallahassee late in his tenure. The 60-year-old played college football in-state at Samford, where he also started his coaching career, and he spent six seasons at Auburn as quarterbacks coach.
If Fisher really wants back into coaching and Auburn is game, this might be very tempting for him.
Coaching searches are running rapid in college football this season. Auburn isn’t the last SEC opening. It’s just another.
Reclassification
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The GHSA dropped its new football classifications for 2026 through 2028 this week, and as always, it’s stirring the pot across the state.
The new setup means some schools are moving up, some are sliding down, and a whole bunch of athletic directors are now staring at spreadsheets trying to figure out what it all means before appeals start Monday morning.
Let’s start with the big news.
A few powerhouse programs are heading to tougher neighborhoods. Creekside, Worth County, Kell, Jefferson, and LaGrange are all moving up a class or more.
Basically, if you’ve been steamrolling folks the past few years, congratulations, you’ve earned yourself a promotion.
For fans, that means some fun new matchups and maybe a little more balance when it comes playoff time.
For coaches, well, that’s a few more sleepless nights watching film.
Then there’s the private school puzzle.
A handful of top programs like Marist, Westminster, Benedictine, and Pace Academy can either stay put or drop into the new “4A-2A Private” division.
Most of those schools have been playing up for a while, but now they’ve got to decide if they want to keep testing themselves against the big boys or move where the competition might be a little fairer.
Whatever they decide, it’s going to shift the power balance. If a couple of those juggernauts move down, that private bracket is going to be stacked.
Now, the real headache for a lot of schools is the GHSA’s out-of-zone multiplier. This is the rule that bumps up schools with a bunch of students who live outside their attendance area.
It’s supposed to level the playing field, but it’s also created some weird side effects.
For example, Gainesville, Dalton, and Calhoun, all city schools that people assume recruit like crazy, actually have very few out-of-zone students. Because of that, they’re getting placed lower than their enrollments suggest.
Meanwhile, county schools like Kennesaw Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and Lakeside-Evans are getting bumped up a class because of a handful of transfer students.
I don’t think that’s exactly what the multiplier was designed for.
Then there’s the idea of competitive balance, which is something GHSA is finally starting to take seriously.
The organization wants to build a formula to identify programs that consistently struggle and might deserve to play down. That’s long overdue. If a team hasn’t sniffed the playoffs in a decade, forcing them to line up against a perennial powerhouse every year doesn’t help anybody.
Schools like Berkmar, Meadowcreek, Beach, and Groves could benefit from this new thinking if GHSA actually follows through.
So, here’s the bottom line. This new classification cycle is a step in the right direction, but it’s not perfect. Some schools are going to feel punished for things out of their control. Others will finally get a fair shot.
The multiplier still needs fine-tuning, and GHSA’s “competitive balance” plan will only work if it’s transparent and consistent.
But overall? It’s progress.
Reclassification used to be just a numbers game. Count your students and that’s where you land. Now, GHSA’s at least acknowledging that there’s more to it than headcount.
For fans, that means new rivalries, maybe longer road trips, and hopefully a few surprise playoff runs. For coaches, it means scouting new opponents and figuring out where their teams really stand.
And for the rest of us, it’s another reminder that in Georgia high school football, nothing ever stays the same for long, except the passion on Friday nights.
Jackets Stung
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When word finally came down from the GHSA office that the 3A bracket didn’t include Southeast Bulloch, there were questions being asked and directed toward Thomaston (where the GHSA office is).
The fact that SEB was left out of the bracket wasn’t so much of a gripe, but who did get in was more the issue.
Beach High School out of Savannah received an at-large spot as the 29th seed in the 3A playoff bracket despite only playing 9 regular season games and being beat by the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets 48-8 just two days prior to the bracket coming out.
Southeast Bulloch finished the season 5-5 and 5-4 in Region 3 play after the 48-8 victory over Beach and ended up 5th in the Region (out of 10 teams). After falling to the Jackets, Beach finishes in 6th place behind SEB.
Beach only played 9 regular season games because their week 2 matchup with Savannah High was declared a no-contest after player ejections and coaches’ arguments broke out in the second quarter of the game in Savannah.
While Beach highly likely would have gone on to win that game against a Savannah team that finished 1-8, the game itself would have played a bigger factor than just a win for Beach.
The PSR (Post Season Ranking) metric that the GHSA uses to determine seeding for 3A and also is the only factor that is used to determine at-large bids is a formula that is 35% based on your win percentage, but is also 35% based on your opponents’ win percentage and 30% based on your opponents’ opponents’ win percentage.
The only comment made by the GHSA has been GHSA associate director Don Corr, who oversees the GHSA’s PSR Ratings and sets the playoff brackets, when he put out a generic statement of “The region followed their procedures to provide the GHSA office with their results, and the GHSA followed the PSR rules as approved by the GHSA state executive committee.”
In the current system, the top four seeds in each region make the playoff field, then at-large berths (due to having to pull the private schools out) are determined by the PSR ratings.
While this year, this flawed system negatively affects the team that I’m tied to with me being the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Jackets, I’ve said this system is incredibly flawed since it was introduced.
First off, teams in SEB’s region are at a disadvantage because they are in the only 10-team region in all of 3A, so teams only have one non-region game they have control of to increase the PSR ratings, and the way the recent history of the teams in the region has been, there’s only four or five teams that actually can help improve your PSR in region.
With the current region’s makeup, there are two regions that only have six teams in it (so two-thirds of the region make the postseason bracket), and two others that have seven teams.
Aside from that issue, the PSR is an extremely complicated but lazy answer for the GHSA. While the current PSR counts road games more than home games (1.1 to 0.9 in the formula), there is no differentiation between non-region games against a higher classification team. In SEB’s case, they opened the season with the lone non-region match-up against the 5A Statesboro squad, but if you just looked at the PSR formula, it would look like any other game on the schedule.
While the system itself is flawed, the execution and transparency by the GHSA leaves a lot to be desired and caused confusion at the end of the season.
Throughout the regular season on the GHSA website, fans can go online and see the PSR ratings and how each team got to their PSR number, but for some reason, the GHSA took the Football PSR page down Thursday evening before the final games of the regular season, and still remains hidden.
In SEB’s case, the week began with thinking there was no chance at an at large, but as the week went on, a member of the SEB community dove into the numbers and discovered there was a path just to be denied and no explanation of the PSR numbers.
At the end of the day, yes, if SEB wins another game or two, they’re in the top four of the region, and it’s a moot point…..in Brooklet at least, but the scary part is that beginning in 2026, the GHSA has approved to go to the PSR for all classifications (oh yeah, PSR only comes into play for 3A and lower….) and region finishes won’t matter.
Beginning next year, the region champions will get an automatic berth, then everyone will be seeded, and all other at-large berths will come from the same PSR that has failed them this year.
Lead Knight
By: Jeff Doke
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At the beginning of this season, Frederica Academy quarterback Stanton Beverly had several goals he wanted to achieve. He’s already accomplished several, plus at least one he wasn’t aware of.
At the completion of the regular season, the coaches of the GIAA AAAA/AAA District 2 named their All-Region Team as well as their Region Player of the Year.
While eight of his teammates were named to the All-Region team, seniors Gavin Grantham and Fuller Wimberly, juniors Jayden Gibson, Jaylen Baldwin, and Eli Middleton, sophomores Eric Alford and JC Wessell, and freshman Hudson Carter, Beverly was unanimously selected as the Region Player of the Year.
When asked about the post-regular season laurels, Stanton was more than willing to heap further praise upon his teammates.
“Everybody deserved it, but I think even more people deserved it,” the junior signal caller said recently. “I think Jordyn Rollins and Travis Garland deserved it as well. Honestly, every single person on this team could have deserved it.”
And he would know. According to a trusted member of Frederica Head Coach Brandon Derrick’s staff who keeps track of player history on HUDL (okay, fine. His wife Becky…), Beverly spends far and away more time viewing film than any of his teammates. According to Stanton’s family, he’s been that way since he was a child.
“When Stanton was 5 years old, he came to me and said that he wanted to play football,” recalls his father Corey Beverly. “I despise flag football, and at the time the local rec department in Nashville only had flag football for ages 5 and 6, so I told him no. The next year I got a call from the rec and they said they’re adding tackle this year. So, I said, ‘yeah, I’ll sign him up.’”
“So, I pick Stanton up from school and we miss the road to home and Stanton asks where we’re going. I told him we were going to the rec department to sign you up for football. I looked over and he had tears running down his face. He said, ‘I’ve waited my whole life for this!’” This year, opposing defenses have been driven to tears.
In the regular season, Beverly has gone 62-108 passing for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns. This places him at #4 all time in Frederica history behind Jalin Simpson (2018) and Gavin Williams (2016 & 15).
Combine that with the fact that he also leads the team in rushing: 113 carries for 751 yards and 10 more touchdowns and you can see why he’s drawn comparisons to another recent scrambling signal caller from Southeast Georgia.
“I love Stetson,” Stanton replied when made aware of the comparisons. “I think he’s the greatest UGA quarterback of all time. I kind of style my game after him. That’s who I want to be; go to Georgia as an underdog story. Stetson Bennett is my hero.”
On defense, Beverly has put up decent stats at Safety as well. His 38 total tackles has him tied for 3rd on the team and is also tied for 1st with 2 INTs.
Much like former Knight Jordan Triplett (who Stanton got to play with his freshman year), Beverly believes his time on defense makes him a better player on offense.
“Safety is almost all about coverages. When I drop back to pass, I can sort of see the demeanors of the cornerbacks and the safeties and it all clicks for me. That also comes from watching film as well.”
After a first round bye in the playoffs, the Knights will take on Valwood Academy, a team that currently is on a 5-game win streak against the Knights. “This team has come such a long way from the beginning of the season. We’re not even comparable to the team we were when we faced Valwood the first time.”
Empty Plains
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze was fired after losing to Kentucky at home recently.
Freeze was 15-19 in his two-plus seasons at Auburn. He will be owed $15.8 million in buyout money, with no mitigation, after he signed a six-year, $49 million deal to replace Bryan Harsin in 2022.
“I have informed Coach Freeze of my decision to make a change in leadership with the Auburn football program,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “Coach Freeze is a man of integrity, and we are appreciative of his investment in Auburn and his relentless work over the last three years in bolstering our roster. Our expectations for Auburn football are to annually compete for championships, and the search for the next leader of Auburn football begins immediately.”
Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin was named interim coach of the Tigers.
“It’s my fervent belief that great days are ahead for the Auburn football program,” Freeze wrote in a statement. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this chapter. I love this place, and I’ll carry the friendships with me always.”
Freeze is the eighth Power Four coach to be fired this season. That now makes four open positions in the SEC, which include Florida, Arkansas and LSU. If we are ranking these positions, obviously Arkansas is the worst job. Auburn has to be the second worst behind Florida and LSU. What direction will Auburn move in for their next head coach?
Lane Kiffin is being talked about for every major job opening. He has guided #7 Ole Miss to an 8-1 record so far. Kiffin has been mentioned for the Florida and LSU positions already.
Curt Cignetti (Indiana) is the best coach that we expect to leave for a bigger program. The Hoosiers are having a great season. He has won over 20 games at Indiana and he’s in his second season there. He should be a top candidate but he might consider other Big Ten programs like Penn State or UCLA as his top destination.
Eli Drinkwitz (Mizzou) is another good candidate. He’s a Gus Malzahn disciple and he became the head coach at Missouri in 2020. The Tigers have been very succesful over the past three seasons, including a Cotton Bowl victory and AP Top 10 finish in 2023. They have been in the upper tier of the SEC for most of the season.
Former Penn State coach James Franklin was fired earlier in the season but he still wants to coach. His record at Penn State was 104-45. He cannot win big games but he typically wins against lesser opponents. He also coached at Vanderbilt from 2011-13 with a 24-15 record. He led the Commodores to a bowl game each season.
Auburn used to be a program that would have one great season every few years. Some examples of this are the 1993 team that was 11-0 and finished #4. They were on NCAA probation so they were banned from postseason play.
In 2004, they went 13-0 and finished the season #2. In 2010, they won the national championship and went 14-0. In 2013, they made it to the national championship game but lost to Florida State 34-31. They were 12-2 and finished the season #2.
Their last season with at least ten wins was in 2017 when they finished 10-4. It will be interesting to see who they hire.
QB Comparision
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The matchup between the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs has been full of outstanding games, Hall of Fame players and oddities all the same, but virtually every year, the game has seen a matchup of great quarterbacks.
Names like Rick Casares in the early days to Steve Spurrier, Buck Belue, Aaron Murray stood out in this Jacksonville based event.
This year’s rendition of the rivalry will see Georgia’s Gunner Stockton square off with DJ Lagway for the Gators. Both are relatively familiar within their respective fanbases, but let’s dive into the two signal callers.
Florida’s DJ Lagway will be going into his 15th career start and carries a 9-5 record as a starter. 2025 has been a slow start with the only FBS win of the year coming against Mississippi State.
Much of the “slow start” was because of missing much of the spring and fall camp with injuries.
Lagway was a highly heralded recruit coming out of Willis High School in Texas. His high school career was capped off with being named the National Gatorade Player of the Year and finished with 8,392 passing yards and 100 touchdowns (58 coming in his senior year).
Last season, he began the season as QB2 but was thrown into the fire after Graham Mertz went down with injury early in the season. Lagway would finish with 1,900 passing yards with 12 TDs and 9 picks thrown.
The freshman Gator racked in the FWAA and ESPN Freshman All American honors.
There were high hopes entering the season, but the 2025 campaign has been an up-and-down affair.
The lows came in the matchup with the Bayou Bengals when he threw 5 interceptions against LSU on September 13th.
However, since then, in the last four games, Lagway has only thrown 3 picks since. The previous three games before the bye week were arguably the most consistent of Lagway’s career.
The Sophomore slinger threw for 280 yards in the win against Mississippi State while connecting on 20 of 34 passes and neared the 300-yard mark against the 9 Texas Longhorns when DJ went 21-28 through the air with 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Lagway has unreal talent and may be coming into his own finally in his Florida career.
On the flip side Georgia has been breaking in a first year starting quarterback, but a familiar name for Bulldog fans. Gunner Stockton took over the full time QB1 role as a redshirt-junior after serving as the backup to Carson Beck the last two seasons in Athens after redshirting in 2022.
Stockton comes from the athletic family and a “coach’s kid.” Gunner’s dad, Rob, was a Georgia Southern Hall of Fame safety from 1992-1995 and had a huge impact on the development of Gunner (to the point that Gunner wears “14” because that was what his dad wore in the Blue and White with the Eagles.
Stockton’s mom was also a collegiate athlete playing for Erskine women’s basketball in the 90’s in Due West, SC. Stockton (similar to Lagway) was thrust into the fire last season, but on a much larger scale.
Stockton had to come in to finish the first half and play the entirety of the 2nd half of the SEC Championship game against Texas last season when Carson Beck wind down with an injury.
The hard-nosed Stockton set a career high passing in his first true road game of his career when he connected for 304 yards against the Tennessee Volunteers in week 3 of the year.
So far, Stockton is completing 70 percent of his passes and has already eclipsed 1,500 yards through the air to go along with averaging 5.7 yards per carry on the ground this year.
While both are still relatively new in the starting role of QB1, both QBs have shown glimpses at least of greatness.
Stockton has been more consistent throughout the season, but Lagway could quiet the naysayers that want to bring up the 5-interception game with a big showing in Jacksonville.
Georgia Florida Game Hall Of Fame Class
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Florida-Georgia rivalry is one of college football’s most enduring traditions, and each year the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame honors former players, coaches, and contributors.
Established in 1995 by the City of Jacksonville’s Office of Sports and Entertainment (later associated with Jacksonville’s sports and tourism arms), the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame celebrates those who left indelible marks on the Florida–Georgia rivalry.
Each year, two representatives from the University of Florida and two from the University of Georgia are selected and formally inducted at a luncheon held on the Friday before the annual Florida-Georgia football game in Jacksonville — a weekend now embraced by SEC fans as part of the “Florida-Georgia Weekend.”
Jacksonville plays host to fan events and the buildup to what is often called “the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party” in college football lore. Here are 2025’s honorees:
Brandon James: James might be the most electric return specialist in Southeastern Conference history. Competing for Florida from 2006 to 2009, he appeared in 50 games, leaving a statistical legacy: four SEC records and eleven Florida records, including career kickoff return yards (2,718), punt return yards (1,371), most total kick returns (229), and total return yardage (4,089).
He is among the select few Gators to have returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown, finishing with five return scores in total.
His accolades include 2008 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, FWAA All-America honors, and multiple All-SEC designations.
Beyond special teams, he chipped in offensively (as a receiver and rusher), contributing more than 700 yards and additional scores.
During his era, Florida claimed two SEC championships and a 2008 BCS national title — and James was a key weapon in shifting momentum and field position.
Todd Johnson: A stalwart in Florida’s secondary from 1999 through 2002, Todd Johnson started 35 games and played in 47.
He was twice named First-Team All-SEC (2000, 2001) and Second-Team in 2002.
Over his career, Johnson amassed 284 tackles, executed 40 “big plays” (including nine interceptions, eight fumble recoveries, and three blocked kicks), and led the team in total plays two years in a row.
His 2000 season was a highlight: 102 tackles and 5 interceptions in a single year.
Off the field, he earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition.
After college, he was selected in the 4th round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and went on to play in the NFL with the Bears, Rams, and Bills, totaling 80 games and accumulating 196 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a sack.
Freddie Gilbert: Gilbert was a rock on Georgia’s defensive front from 1980 to 1983.
Notably, he posted an undefeated 4–0 record against Florida during his career, anchoring some of Georgia’s most memorable rivalry victories — including a 44–0 shutout in 1982 and a tight 10–9 win in 1983. In 1981, he logged eight tackles (three for loss) against Florida, prompting then-coach Vince Dooley to laud his “outstanding” effort.
Over four seasons, Gilbert racked up 233 tackles and 26 sacks, ranking sixth all-time at Georgia, and set the school’s single-game sack record with five against Temple in 1983.
He earned two First-Team All-SEC nods and was a 1983 All-American. After college he played professionally in the USFL and later in the NFL, including appearances in Super Bowls XXI and XXII with the Denver Broncos.
Sony Michel: Michel was a prolific running back for Georgia from 2014 to 2017, and his performances in rivalry games and postseason matchups cemented his place in Bulldog lore.
In his final Florida–Georgia game, he rushed for 137 yards and scored two long touchdowns in a dominant 42–7 win.
During his collegiate tenure, Michel amassed 3,638 rushing yards, 33 touchdowns, and added more than 600 receiving yards, becoming the third-all-time leading rusher at Georgia.
He was a two-time permanent team captain, and he led Georgia to the 2017 SEC Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Michel’s final college season included a standout performance in the Rose Bowl with 181 yards and three touchdowns, propelling Georgia to the national title game.
In the NFL, Michel was selected in the first round by the New England Patriots and went on to win two Super Bowls — famously scoring the only touchdown in Super Bowl LIII — before later joining and winning another title with the Los Angeles Rams.
The 2025 inductee class continues the Hall’s mission to spotlight those whose impact rippled beyond individual games.
Their achievements in Florida–Georgia matchups, on broader stages, and in post-collegiate careers embody the rivalry’s blend of excellence, drama, and enduring loyalty.
The Jacksonville luncheon remains more than an award ceremony — it’s a gathering of the rivalry’s past and present, connecting generations of fans, players, and media in celebration of one of college football’s greatest traditions.
As October 31 approaches and fans flock to Jacksonville, the 2025 Hall of Fame class will be immortalized among the legends of the Florida-Georgia rivalry — their stories woven into the fabric of one of the sport’s most storied matchups.
The War For The Oar
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Few games in college football have the same feel as Georgia–Florida.
Every fall, the Bulldogs and Gators meet in Jacksonville for a border war that splits families, fills the stands with half red and black and half orange and blue, and reminds the rest of the country how much fun a real rivalry can be.
Depending on which record book you believe, the two first met in either 1904 or 1915, but since 1926 they’ve battled nearly every year, taking only one break during World War II.
The matchup has lived in Jacksonville since 1933, which is considered neutral ground right on the border, and the party that surrounds it is legendary.
For years, fans called it The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and while the schools have dropped that name officially, the energy hasn’t gone anywhere.
This rivalry has always swung in streaks. Georgia owned the early years, Florida took control in the ’50s and early ’60s, then Vince Dooley’s Bulldogs flipped the script through the ’80s.
The ’90s were all Gators thanks to Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer kept it rolling into the 2000s. But lately, it’s been Kirby Smart’s world. Georgia has won seven of the last eight, and they don’t look ready to give it up.
Still, there’s more to this rivalry than touchdowns and bragging rights.
Since 2009, coincidentally around the time the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party moniker was abandoned, the Okefenokee Oar has added a unique twist to the Georgia–Florida story.
The Oar is exactly what it sounds like. It is a 12-foot wooden oar carved from a 1,000-year-old tree pulled from the Okefenokee Swamp, that massive wetland straddling the Georgia–Florida border.
The swamp’s ownership was once disputed between the two states, which makes it the perfect symbol for this tug-of-war rivalry.
Nobody’s really sure why an oar was chosen. The story goes that an anonymous Florida donor came up with the idea in 2009, and student leaders from both schools ran with it.
One side of the Oar features Georgia’s Bulldog and state crest; the other side shows Florida’s Gator and seal. Down the handle, every score since 2009 is carved in, with enough space to keep track for another 150 years.
Florida won the first two “Wars for the Oar,” but Georgia brought it home in 2011 after a 24–20 win.
Since then, it’s traded hands a few times, usually staying with the winner for three-year stretches.
When the Bulldogs have it, you can find the Oar proudly displayed in the Tate Student Center in Athens, Bulldog side facing out. When the Gators win, the Gator side gets the spotlight in Gainesville.
The original idea for the Oar didn’t come from the athletic departments, but instead came from the students. The University of Georgia and University of Florida student governments teamed up to make it official with a joint resolution in 2011.
Ever since, the winning school’s students have been in charge of hauling the massive thing to Jacksonville for the next game.
When Georgia wins, the Redcoat Band usually gets the honor of bringing it back home on the bus.
The Oar started as a quirky idea, but it’s grown into a genuine part of the rivalry. ESPN’s College GameDay has featured it, fans use the hashtag #WarForTheOar, and it’s become one more layer of pride in a matchup that already oozes history and heart.
This year’s game kicks off November 1, and the stakes are as high as ever. Bragging rights, playoff hopes, and a little piece of carved swamp history are all on the line.
When Georgia and Florida meet in Jacksonville, it’s never just a football game. It’s the annual border battle for the Okefenokee Oar, and there’s nothing quite like it in college football.
The Next Man In The Bayou?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
LSU is college football’s latest tier 1 team to fire their coach and enter the most exciting coaching carousel in recent history.
Not only are the Tigers in the mix, but they also move right to the front of the line as the top job available.
Brian Kelly’s 34-14 record wasn’t the type of failure that we typically see associated with major program firings. At a program with expectations like Louisiana State University, 34-14 with no championships isn’t good enough.
In a coaching cycle that’s already breaking buyout records and showcasing major names, LSU is a job that will attract the best and brightest.
In most cases, what this new job was and what it is can be two completely different things.
In LSU’s case, there may be no better time to demand the best of the best. With that in mind, here’s a look at some upside vs. challenges that the next coach will face at LSU.
If you could design the perfect recruiting base, it might be LSU. Though in-state players leave at times, the best from Louisiana often stay home to play for the Tigers.
There’s a state pride connection to the university like no other, and that’s a great starting point, considering Louisiana produces the most NFL players per capita.
The Tigers also border Texas to the east giving them easy access to pop into the nation’s most talented recruits. Their proximity to Mississippi and the rest of the Greater Southeast means that LSU has a geographical and reputational footprint many programs envy.
At their best, they can be a national recruiter going coast-to-coast and up and down the eastern seaboard. LSU possesses access and natural advantages when it comes to talent. They are among the best in the country.
We’ve already discussed the recruiting base as an advantage, but it can’t be overstated how big of a jump that gives the Tigers in potential roster building.
Additionally, LSU has one of the country’s best game day environments with night games in Death Valley. Their prodigious number of former Tigers in the NFL makes LSU an attractive option for players looking to reach the next level.
Though Kelly was vocal about the need for more NIL money at times, the Tigers showed the ability to be big spenders this past offseason with a roster value estimated to be around $30 million, according to sources.
LSU also has a sizable front office, having put together one of the country’s top personnel groups.
A new coach may want to restructure some, but the support is already in place for a plug-and-play candidate.
It’s still early in the aftermath, but all indications are that LSU recruiting class looks stable and the Tigers’ roster seems to be in the same shape under interim coach Frank Wilson.
Unlike most jobs where there’s major upheaval following a change, the right staff could retain key pieces and be set up for success in year one.
Louisiana is home to good food, good music and generally messy politics. With LSU playing in the state capital of Baton Rouge, those politics are right on the doorstep.
In fact, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry went to social media and voiced his disapproval of LSU’s rising season ticket prices after Saturday’s 49-24 beat down against Texas A&M and played a big part to remove Kelly.
Landry’s role is more out of necessity at the moment because LSU is without a school president. Still, political influence and pressure to win is at an all-time high within the program.
The Tigers showed the ability to raise the funds necessary to compete with the best in the country this year, but they will need continued contributions to stay at that level.
That can be difficult when LSU’s other athletic programs have mouths to feed. Their baseball program and women’s basketball team are both among the nation’s elite while their men’s basketball hopes to rise again. In the rev-share era, those can be tough waters to navigate for an athletic department.
There’s a reason this opening resonated within the industry when news of Kelly’s departure broke. Many in the industry consider LSU an elite job, if not the best.
No place has more natural advantages, I think it’s the easiest place to win in the country when you consider all of the factors.
Look no further than Les Miles and Ed Orgeron winning national titles during their time there. No school has the access they do to the amount of talent needed to win, and the administration has shown time and again they will back them if needed.
I don’t think people outside of the state understand how powerful the Tiger’s brand is in that region. It’s everywhere in Louisiana, and because of the displacement from Katrina, it’s moved into Texas and Florida and other parts of the Southeast.
I think the fit matters. We saw it with Kelly, and I think you have to understand you’re recruiting and coaching a different type of player there. If they find a guy who understands that the sky is the limit.
Just days removed from the decision, any talk of concrete names is still premature. But it’s safe to say that Lane Kiffin is a top contender.
Kiffin is likely to be the belle of the coaching ball with Florida also in play and Ole Miss working to extend his contract.
My short list includes former Penn State coach James Franklin, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who previously called plays for LSU during their 2019 championship season, and Tulane coach Jon Sumrall.
Given the attractiveness of the position, LSU could even take a big swing inside NFL circles. Athletic director Scott Woodward said that he intended on a national coaching search, and the Tigers should use everything at their disposal to attract the best candidates.
