The Miami Marlins Curse
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Miami Marlins have a short history of existence and long track record of winning championships and pissing off their fan base.
When former owner and Floridian supervillain Jeffrey Loria sold the team last year, baseball fans from across the globe wondered what kind of change this would bring to a team with 25 years of winning every single postseason series they’ve ever played in, along with never winning a single division title and constantly trading away their most popular players.
This is the team that wholesaled sold off their big guns after both World Series wins and the team that fired Joe Girardi the season he won Manager of the Year.
They have constantly developed superstars and then shipped them elsewhere. In 2012 the team built a new stadium and hired Ozzie Guillen to manage the team, which included freshly signed free agent superstars Jose Reyes, Mark Beuhrle, and Heath Bell.
Guillen was fired after one season and not one of those three players saw a second season in a Marlins uniform.
So, the team being sold was cause for celebration for the handful of Floridians who live and breathe Marlins.
After all, the team was chocked full of talent and maybe a new guiding hand would be able to supplement the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna with players that would help Miami take a huge step forward.
Another wrinkle was that the group buying the team included Yankees legend Derek Jeter among its members. This was a true baseball guy, someone who knows how the game is played and what’s more, knows how to win. All in all, things were hopeful for the Miami faithful.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Jeter and the ownership group moved quickly to do the same thing to the Marlins that the previous two owners did – strip it down for parts. Over the course of one week, just seven days, Miami traded away three of their most valuable assets.
Dee Gordon was the first to go, packing his bags for Seattle. Marcell Ozuna was part three, being traded to St. Louis exactly one week later.
Ozuna was just an extra kick in the ribs, as three days prior, reigning MVP Giancarlo Stanton was traded away. It should be noted that he was traded to the Yankees, because there is no justice in the world.
In the span of just seven days all the promise that the concept of new ownership had brought to the team sank into the familiar sense of utter betrayal that must by now feel like a warm hug to Marlins fans.
Rebuilding isn’t inherently an awful thing and it may not even be the wrong thing to do for Jeter but what a wrong foot to start out on for this new regime.
For a franchise that has repeatedly been torn down to be rebuilt and then torn down again, trading away some of the most talented players the team has ever seen as a first move will not instill trust between owners and fans. Stanton is probably the second greatest Marlin in their team’s short history behind Miguel Cabrera (who was traded), ahead of the likes of Gary Sheffield (who was traded), Josh Beckett (who was traded), and literally any other Marlins player was any good at all (who was traded).
He was incredibly popular and now he’s gone, along with Ozuna and Gordon and Christian Yelich isn’t going to be too far behind.
No one liked Jeffrey Loria. He didn’t have a good relationship with his players and they were usually happy to leave south Florida but Derek Jeter is a likeable guy.
Yet Christian Yelich’s agent claimed that the relationship between Yelich and the team was damaged beyond repair.
The Curse of the Bambino prevented the Red Sox from winning a World Series for 86 years.
The Curse of the Black Sox prevent the White Sox from winning a World Series for 88 years.
The Curse of the Billy Goat prevented the Cubs from even participating in a World Series for 71 years, extending their championship drought to 108 years.
The Marlins have won two World Series in the past 25 years but are they cursed to forever be a front office mess?
Local Star Wars
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Signing day is quickly approaching and several of Glynn County’s football players are looking for a college home.
These student athletes are taking official visits (visits paid for by the college football program) and unofficial visits (prospect pays for visit out of their own pocket).
Glynn County has been a major hotspot for college coaches this past week. There have been over 30 colleges visit the 3 high schools in Glynn County. Brunswick High, Frederica Academy, and Glynn Academy have seen some of the biggest names in their hallways this week.
The most notable being the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Kirby Smart. Glynn County is Dawg country and you could not log onto any social media platform and not see a picture with Kirby Smart with a Glynn County resident.
Coach Pender’s Pirates have seen a lot of traffic as of late. The Pirates have one the largest senior classes in the school’s history.
That senior class is loaded with talent. Jaylen Jackson is committed to Georgia Tech and Kam Futch is committed to West Georgia.
Several other prospects are being heavily recruited as well. Djay Whitfield is coming off his official visit from Albany State. Aubrey Williams recently visited Rice University and has interest from other schools as well. Sharrod Frazier has several division 1 offers as well. He should start traveling soon for his official visits.
Brunswick High also has several others who could potentially go play college football next year.
Tevin Small, Jalen King, Alonzo Brown, Rudy Nixon, Ty Hinson, and John Cano should all suit up for a college football team next year.
Warren McClendon will be one of the biggest recruits in South Georgia next year. He has several Power 5 conference offers and he is completely open to all schools at this point in his recruiting process.
Glynn Academy Coach Rocky Hidalgo has also had a lot of visitors. Last year Glynn was able to send Deejay Dallas and Zalonte Hillary to the University of Miami.
Dallas made an immediate impact with the Hurricanes. Miami coaches expect Hillary to make an even bigger impact next year upfront.
Coach Rocky still has a lot of talent on his team that college coaches are coming by to see. Randon Jernigan was highly recruited but decided to sign and play baseball at the University of Georgia.
Marvin Dallas is a long and athletic corner that college coaches love on the outside. He is receiving a lot of attention from several schools.
Dynamic running back, Caine Crews, is a stud running back that will be a major contributor for whatever school he decides to suit up for.
Hunter Hall might be the most underrated recruit in South Georgia. This four-year starter has all the tools that will make him a successful college linebacker. All he needs is a chance.
Frederica Academy has been busy as well. The Knights have 3 seniors who are being recruited to potentially play football in college.
Santana Clark received and offer from the prestigious Rhodes College. He will travel next weekend to Memphis to check out the campus.
Tyler Pierce has received some attention from D3 and NAIA schools.
John Mitchell Brock could possibly kick at the next level of he chooses. There are some D3 schools that are interested in his services.
Jashawn Sheffield and Jaylin Simpson are going into their last year at Frederica. Power 5 schools have been coming in packs to check on this duo.
The 2019 class also has another potential D1 player. Harry Veal has found his way on the radar of college coaches as well. Veal finished the season with 120+ tackles and this has not gone unnoticed by college coaches.
SEC Stocks
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Have you looked at your 401K plan lately? The stock market is at an all-time high. Let’s take a look at the SEC Football Stock report currently.
Alabama: Hold. Good blue chip producing stock that is the best investment out there. It’s at the top of its value so there’s not much upside but the dividend pays well. Best CEO in the business. Been a top producer for over a decade now. How long will the current CEO stay hungry/motivated?
Arkansas: Buy for now. This Company has seen better days and former CEO ate up all of the profits. New CEO is on board with expansion into the Texas marketplace as his first priority.
Auburn: Dump it. Rollercoaster stock that could go up or down based on some key indicators. Downturn is likely because this company has the most overpriced CEO in the business. This company has a Sears/Kmart mentality.
Florida: Buy. Been a tough down cycle of late, but this is a bargain currently. New executive team comes from a lower-tier company that performed very well in a tough market. This stock will rebound quickly and be a top producer once again. New CEO must find a new chief operations officer quickly during this recruiting cycle.
Georgia: Buy it in droves. They are Amazon and Facebook a few years ago. High upside with an Alabama type CEO, but a solid business model that has been underperforming for almost 40 years and it’s bound to stay on top after earnings went through the roof in 2017. Gobble it up.
Kentucky: Sell. Other divisions are performing well, but this brand has never gained a foothold in the market. The March division manager needs to share his SOP’s with the entire brand.
LSU: Sell. CEO is in way over his head. Traditional producing stock, but time will tell if this CEO has it in him to get shareholders on board and happy. Sell now, and gobble up down the road when the board decides it is time for a CEO change.
Mississippi State: Sell. Old CEO got hired by a Fortune 500 company. New CEO has no CEO experience in a tough environment that is hard to produce in.
Ole Miss: Dump it. The Security and Exchange Commission is investigating this company and has handed out early fines, but once you violate the public trust turnaround will be difficult. Gordon Gekko has been hired as a consultant during this rough transition. Money never sleeps you know.
Mizzou: Dump it. Why this company is publically traded is beyond me. This company needs to geographically relocate where overhead and labor costs are cheaper so they can compete.
South Carolina: Buy. This stock is on the rise once again. Up and down historically, but buy it now. New CEO has laid down the law to employees. Be ready to sell at any time though.
Texas A&M: Buy. New CEO brought in at $75 million from another Fortune 500 company, and the cash reserves in this company are outstanding. New CEO will move this company into the top tier of revenue producing companies within 2-3 years. Load up now.
Tennessee: Hold. This stock has bottomed out and has nowhere else to go but up. Once the best in the business in the 1990’s, but Bill Clinton has been gone for almost 20 years now. This stock can’t stay down forever. First time CEO may or may not be the answer. Hold it now because it is only worth a penny.
Vanderbilt: Hold. This stock holds its value quite nicely. Hold what you have but don’t invest in more of it.
Don’t forget to compensate me for the advice if you decide to invest in one of these stocks with huge upside.
Jaguars Roar
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you look back over the NFL season, it shouldn’t really be all that surprising that the Jacksonville Jaguars were at least able to make the playoffs.
For one, it’s become a yearly ritual for the playoffs to consist of around a half dozen teams that didn’t make it to the postseason the year before. Jacksonville was a hot pick to be one of those teams last year, until Blake Bortles did his best Akili Smith impersonation and the Jaguars season prominently went the way of Kevin Spacey’s career.
Coming into this season, Jacksonville had a favorable schedule, a defense that people thought would be very good (not sure anyone thought they would be this good) and a possible running attack led by Leonard Fournette. As long as Bortles could semi keep it together they would have a legit shot of returning to the playoffs.
However, all that being said, you’re straight up lying if you predicted Jacksonville to be playing in the AFC Championship game.
Yes, I know they had Buffalo at home, another “surprise” team that was more or less a mirror image of how Jacksonville plays.
And sure, they did best Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, back in Week Five. But c’mon, if I told you Roethlisberger was going to throw for over 400 yards and the Steelers would put up 42 points, how much a chance would you give Jacksonville to win?
Probably about as much a chance as most will give them in Foxboro Stadium. Well, as a former president once said “Fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” Obviously, that isn’t quite how the saying goes, but you get the gist.
I don’t expect the Jaguars defense to be able to stop Brady completely, but they are stingy enough to slow down the Patriots offense and should be able to keep Jacksonville in the game; barring their offense decides to help them out.
This of course, is the big question. You have to imagine Belichick will load the box in order to stop one of the league’s best rushing attacks, but that’s easier said than done.
The Patriots defense is much improved from where they were at the beginning of the season, but Jacksonville should be able to have success on the ground.
However, like every other conversation concerning the Jaguars over the past two years, it will come down to Blake Bortles and whether or not he can- 1. Make the important throw when needed, or 2. Not turn into Ryan Leaf. At this point, I’d feel more comfortable trying to predict which athlete/music mogul Khloe Kardashian is going to date next. (Officially, my vote is for Kyrie Irving. It just feels right, you know?)
One thing that New England has been able to use as an advantage in home playoff games of years past, but that may not be much of a factor against Jacksonville, is the weather.
As of right now, the skies will be clear and the temperature will be in the 50’s. Granted it’s not Jacksonville, FL weather, but it’s hardly the type of weather that should hinder their play.
I know New England is a heavy favorite, as they should be, but I just can’t shake this feeling Jacksonville will put up more of a fight than most expect.
Regardless, making it to the AFC Championship is farther than just about anyone would’ve imagined before the season started….no matter what they tell you.
Another Mutiny In Darien
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When will it end for the MCA Buccaneers?
Head Coach Terel Toomer was let go/resigned as head coach for the program. The next coach the Bucs hire will be there 5th in seven years.
This firing/resignation feels more disgusting than the rest.
Toomer was brought in to give some stability to the program that was still in the wake of the controversial firing of former Head Coach, Robbie Robinson.
Let’s rewind things a bit. Robinson had just been fired for allegations of misappropriation of money and allegedly instructing a player to intentionally injure another player. By the way, we are over a year removed from those allegations and there is not any concrete evidence of either offense, but that is another story for another day.
MCA was coming off a state championship appearance when the decision was made to fire Coach Robinson after his second year back at MCA.
Coach Toomer, who had been the Defensive Coordinator, was hired to stabilize a program that was in peril. Some even wondered if the Bucs would even be able to field enough players to have a team last season.
This was the right hire, a guy that was familiar with the kids, the community, the system and the school.
Coach Toomer went to work. Toomer convinced kids to stay in the program and was able to hold on to several boosters.
MCA went 3-6 on the season, but with everything that happened no one was concerned about the record. Toomer had brought together a program in disarray and brought back some stability.
So, instead of thanking Coach Toomer, Principal Chris Wolski informed him that he would not be back as the football coach next season.
That decision comes after Wolski had reportedly told Toomer “he did a great job coaching the team under the circumstances”.
I sent a text to Coach Toomer and asked if he had been relieved of his coaching duties. I was told “Correct, this new principal is not having me back, so its best that I resign. Nothing to do with wins or losses. It’s because we didn’t see eye to eye on some issues.”
I called Principal Wolski and left a message with my name and number for him to return my call, which he did and below is a dialogue of our conversation:
Wolski: Hello Mr. Bishop. This is Principal Wolski at MCA returning your call.
Jason: Good afternoon. I was calling in regards to the rumor that Coach Toomer had resigned. Any truth to that rumor?
Wolski: Not be crass, but who are you? Who are you with? I don’t want to give confirmation on anything to anyone I don’t know.
Jason: I am the owner of The Bishop Media Sports Network. I am the publisher of The Southern Sports Edition. I am the host of The Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch, which is the most popular sports show in this area. And my company is the company that put on the Terel Toomer Coach’s show this past season. I am very surprised that you don’t know who I am, as principal of your school since I worked so closely with your football program this past season.
Wolski: Ok. I apologize. But Coach Toomer has not as of yet turned in a resignation to me but I can tell you that he will not be coaching track this season.
Jason: Did you tell Coach Toomer you did want him back as the football coach next season?
Wolski: That is a personnel matter and I do not want to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Do you expect Coach Toomer to be your coach next season then?
Wolski: Again, that is a personnel matter and I am not going to discuss personnel matters.
Jason: Ok. Thanks for your time.
Wolski: No problem. What station does your show air on?
Jason: 93.7 WBQO. Saturday mornings at 10am. You should tune in and take a listen, we had Coach Toomer on several times this past season and talked MCA Football a good bit.
Wolski: I will.
Falcons Flight Ended
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s a funny thing about sports; most seasons end with heartbreak. After all, there’s only one champion when it’s all said and done. Only one team takes home the Stanley Cup. Only one team wins the World Series. Only one team can be the CFB National Champion (or two, if you count UCF). And only one team can win the Super Bowl.
Atlanta knows that all too well after last year. All but one group of fans stands triumphant after the dust settles, the rest go home empty-handed regardless if they go 0-16 during the regular season or if they get knocked out in the big game itself. They’ve lost.
But, being a sports fan is also eternally optimistic. After all, the seasons keep turning over, resetting everyone’s records at 0-0 and bringing the hope of improvement.
There was a cloud of misery over Atlanta the week after the Super Bowl in 2017. But, as winter turned to spring and spring to summer, Falcons fans began to look ahead to the season yet to come, wondering what the chip on their team’s shoulder would motivate them to do.
The season came and, at best, brought mixed results. Good stretches, bad stretches, blown leads (that without fail brought up that damn Super Bowl again), all manner of praise and criticism. They battled into the playoffs and even past the Wild Card game.
Then they lost again. They lead the Eagles after the first two quarters and saw the game slip away in the second half with a pair of unanswered field goals.
It’s not a collapse that compares to inarguably the worst day in Georgia sports history (still true, UGA fans – sorry), but it was another winnable game that wasn’t won. This one featured a game-winning drive that didn’t deliver the win after the Falcons failed to cross the goal line from the six-yard line.
It really does beg the question: will the Falcons ever be able to win a Super Bowl?
I’ll admit, this is the kind of stupid, broadly nonsensical question that is a great example of sensationally dumb sports writing. I can’t make an actual argument for or against this because this team will consist of entirely different people in ten years.
But I do fear that the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones window is closing.
It shouldn’t be. This team has talent, and lots of it. They weren’t going to live up to 2016’s offensive output in any situation, but they were a mess all year long in 2017.
I’ve already seen people calling for OC Steve Sarkisian’s job. Maybe he should get fired.
Maybe that’s overly reactionary and having yet another OC come in and mix things up so soon would be a terrible idea. I don’t know. But I know that the Falcons have had leads in their last game of the season for two years in a row now and haven’t been able to close the door.
I don’t know if Atlanta has a curse of some kind. Those tend to be more well-publicized in baseball, where Atlanta actually has a championship. But, the Falcons have put good teams on the field several times for Matt Ryan. They put good teams on the field for Michael Vick, too.
For Falcons fans, it can seem like Atlanta is the only team in the world and when they lose, that’s the biggest loss of the year.
But 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year. Only one does.
That may not be much of a comfort, but take some consolation in knowing that you’ve got lots of company, every time this happens.
And remember that while 31 teams don’t win the Super Bowl every year, one team does. And winter will be spring before you know it.
Georgia Is Next
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Imagine the following, what if I told you in August that Georgia would win the SEC East in 2017? Most die-hard Dawg fans coming off of an 8-5 season would have taken that in a heartbeat.
What if I told you Georgia would win their first SEC title since 2005 against rival Auburn? You would have said oh my goodness, yes.
What if I told you UGA would make the College Football Playoff and beat Oklahoma in a classic Rose Bowl and play for a National Title? You would have said I am crazy.
UGA did all of this in 2017 and came up three points short against Alabama in OT; the same Alabama team that many picked to win the Natty in the preseason.
So, what is next for Georgia? Fact is UGA is ahead of schedule. Coming off a 13-2 season in year two of the Kirby Smart era, the Dawgs are way ahead of schedule.
This UGA team reminds me of Alabama in 2008 in year two of the Saban era; then the Tide took off in year 3 and have won 5 National Titles in 9 years. I’m not saying UGA will go on that kind of run but a national Title will come to UGA within the next 2-4 years.
Here is what is next for UGA:
Recruiting: Georgia currently has the number one class in America and Kirby is the best recruiter in the business.
UGA needs to use all of this national exposure to its’ advantage and Kirby needs to continue to work his magic on the recruiting trail.
Smart has built a fence around the State of Georgia and Alabama, Auburn, and Florida are not coming into the State and cherry picking top talent anymore.
Strength and Conditioning: Alabama wore the Georgia offensive and defensive fronts down in the 4th quarter of the title game because they were bigger and stronger. Georgia has made huge strides in this area since Smart has arrived but Dawgs are not quite there yet.
Develop Justin Fields quickly. With Jacob Eason leaving for the University of Washington the Dawgs must get Fields ready quickly to back up Jake Fromm.
Fields is the number one rated QB in America and he enrolled early so he should be ready to play in 2018.
UGA must get better at CB. Mel Tucker needs shut down corners to run his system. UGA gave up too many deep balls in 2017.
The Dawgs must start using their Tight Ends again. Did a TE have a catch in the National Title game? This area must develop to improve the passing game.
Georgia just finished an outstanding season and will be the SEC East favorites along with South Carolina in 2018. The SEC slate will be tough playing all of the east rivals and LSU and Auburn from the west. The Dawgs travel to Death Valley in Baton Rouge in 2018, which will be no picnic.
The 2018 Dawgs will be Jake Fromm’s team and Fromm will be the leader and face of the program. The kid is a gamer and will continue to get better with Fields coming in to push him. Georgia will miss Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and Roquan Smith if #3 decides to turn pro.
What is on the horizon for UGA football is a magic carpet ride of SEC Titles and maybe a Natty or two with these studs Kirby keeps landing in the Classic City.
The future is so bright for UGA football that you need a brand-new pair of shades to see it all. Kirby Smart is just flat out getting it done in Athens, Georgia.
Tide Rolls In Another Title
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football season is officially over which is a bittersweet moment. The national championship game started slowly but got better in the second half. #3 Georgia (13-2) was on a quest for their first national championship since 1980.
They dominated in the first half but they had to settle for field goals early on to take a 6-0 lead. Mecole Hardman scored a 1-yard touchdown right before halftime to give the Dawgs a 13-0 lead.
On the opposite side #4 Alabama (13-1) struggled on offense in the first half. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is 25-2 as a starter and led the Crimson Tide to their second consecutive national championship game.
He struggled again, only completing 3 of 8 passing attempts for 21 yards. He did a good job running, gaining 47 yards on 6 carries.
Nick Saban made a bold move by benching Hurts at halftime in favor of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa. He led Bama to the end zone with a 6-yard TD pass to Henry Ruggs III to cut the deficit to six points.
The Bulldogs answered that score with a big play from their true freshman quarterback. Jake Fromm threw an 80-yard touchdown to Hardman to extend the lead to 20-7. Fromm played pretty well, throwing for 232 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions with a 50% completion rate.
The Crimson Tide would go on to tie the game 20-20 with 3:49 remaining in the 4th quarter after Tagovailoa tossed another touchdown to Calvin Ridley. They had a chance to win the game in regulation.
Kicker Andy Pappanastos missed a field goal in the first half, which foreshadowed what he would do later in the game. He missed another field goal as time expired in regulation.
UGA received the ball first in overtime and scored a field goal to take a 23-20 lead. At that point I thought Alabama was in trouble because they could not trust their kicker.
Tagovailoa took a horrible sack on Alabama’s first play in overtime, losing 16 yards. On the next play he threw a 41-yard TD pass to freshman DeVonta Smith to win the game.
“I could not believe it,” Saban said. “There’s lots of highs and lows. Last year we lost on the last play of the game and this year we won on the last play of the game. These kids really responded the right way. We said last year, `Don’t waste the feeling.’ They sure didn’t, the way they played tonight.”
Tagovailoa finished with 166 yards, 3 touchdowns and one pick with a 58% completion rate.
The win is Alabama’s fifth national title in nine years. Saban now has six major poll national championships, which includes one at LSU. That matches the record set by another legendary Crimson Tide coach, Bear Bryant.
This was an interesting year for Alabama. They lost the championship last season on the last play of the game. They reeled off 11 wins to begin this season before losing to archrival Auburn to finish the season.
There was some controversy when they were selected to the College Football Playoff because they did not win their conference. Some people felt that Ohio State was more deserving since they won the Big Ten, even though they had 2 losses. It looks like the decision to pick the Tide was justified.
New Chief In Tallahassee
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State has found their new coach. Willie Taggart will take over the head coaching job at FSU.
Taggart has had an interesting coaching journey. Taggart got his first head coaching job at Western Kentucky. After leaving Western Kentucky, Taggart moved on to University of South Florida.
He was able to turn the Bulls around and make them a powerhouse in Florida. His work at USF led to him taking the head coaching job at Oregon. Though only spending a year at Oregon, Taggart was able to turn the struggling Ducks program around.
Now, the next program he has to turn around is Florida State. Florida State is coming off one of their worst seasons in decades. The team is loaded with talent and now it is Taggart’s job to lead it.
In Taggart’s introduction interview he said that FSU was his dream job. He grew up a Noles fan and told stories of wearing garnet and gold and pulling for the Noles when he was coaching at USF.
FSU has a guy who loves FSU now. Current players are saying there is a different attitude in Tallahassee now. Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick, and other past FSU stars are back around the program. Taggart has the support from current players, past players, and the fans. All there is left to do now is win.
Taggart has also done a great job assembling his staff. He has raided Michigan State of their defensive coordinator, Harlon Barnett.
Bennett is a proven defensive coordinator and has had Michigan State ranked high in a lot of defensive categories nationally. With the speed and talent at FSU, the defense should reminiscent of the Mickey Andrews defenses of the Bowden era.
Donte’ Pimpleton will coach the running backs. He is following Taggart from Oregon. Telly Lockette will coach tight ends. He coached with Taggart as well. Greg Frey will coach the offensive line. He coached at Michigan last year. Odell Haggins will be the only member to from the previous staff. Haggins has been at FSU 20 plus years coaching defensive line. The linebackers will be coached by Raymond Woodie. Woodie is also coming from Oregon. Alonzo Hampton will be the special teams coach. Hampton has some Georgia ties, where coached at Tift County. There are a few more sports left open on Taggart’s staff. He is in the process of filling out that staff now.
Taggart was also able to come in during December and get some big recruits to sign letters of intents to play at FSU. He is known for being able to recruit and he will definitely be able to do this at FSU as well.
FSU is ranked outside of the top 25 in recruiting at this moment. I expect the Noles to be in the top 25 and maybe top 10 when the February signing day gets here.
There is definitely a different feel in the Tallahassee air. There will always be high expectations in Tallahassee and their new coach is a big name that has assembled a bunch of big names to accompany him in Tallahassee. Now it is time to see if this hire will be a homerun or a strikeout.
National Championship Game Breakdown
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC takes center stage in the biggest game of the college football season, with the conference’s two best teams finally getting an opportunity to settle it on the field.
This matchup should have taken place the first weekend of December, but Auburn ruined that as the Tigers upset the Tide at Auburn on November 25th.
This championship game between Georgia and Alabama has a lot of twists and plots. Georgia with second year coach Kirby Smart going against his mentor Nick Saban, who holds a perfect 11-0 mark against former assistants. Smart served as Saban’s defensive coordinator for years in Tuscaloosa before coming home to UGA.
Alabama beat up Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl and UGA outscored Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl 54-48 to get to this game which will be played in brand new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ticket prices are through the roof and this ticket may be the priciest in the history of sports events in the state of Georgia.
Keys to the game:
Which Quarterback plays the best? Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken some heat from the Tide nation recently with his play but all he does is win as a starting Tide signal caller and has his team playing in the title game for the second year in a row as a starter.
Georgia freshman Jake Fromm looks like a seasoned veteran with the Bulldog offense and the game tying TD drive with Oklahoma in regulation is the stuff legends are made of.
Fromm is a better passer and Hurts is a better runner. In the end this game may be decided by the mobility of a QB. Advantage: Hurts and Alabama.
Which Offensive line holds up best? Both of the units were dominated by the Auburn defensive front in the Iron Bowl, and first UGA/AU matchup at Auburn. Both groups learned something from it.
Georgia dominated Auburn up front in the SEC title game, and Alabama handled the great Clemson DL in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama is dealing with an injury to a starting OG Cotton Jr. and UGA is coming in healthy. Advantage: Georgia
Coaching? Nick Saban is the best head coach in football. Kirby knows the Alabama way and has changed the culture at UGA, but in the end Nick has five national titles. Advantage: Alabama
Atmosphere surrounding game? Yes, Alabama has been here before. This game is in Atlanta and is the biggest game for UGA since the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Georgia looks like a team of destiny. Advantage: UGA
Positional Group Analysis:
QB: Hurts or Fromm? Slight advantage to Alabama.
RB: Both teams are loaded here. Chubb, Michel, Swift, Holyfield, Herrien. Advantage: Georgia
OL: Both groups are solid. The Tide is dealing with an injury to a starter. Advantage: Georgia
WR: Calvin Ridley is the best WR on the field during this game for Alabama, but who else steps up for the Tide? Wims, Godwin, and the TE’s make it tilt UGA’s way. Advantage: Georgia
DL: Alabama is better than UGA here. Advantage; Alabama
LB: Two words for you. Roquan Smith. Alabama is beat up here. Advantage: Georgia
DB: Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best DB in America. Advantage: Alabama
Special Teams: Alabama is slightly better at punter and UGA is light years better at FG kicker with Rod Blankenship. Mecole Hardman is ready to explode on the national stage for UGA. Don’t be surprised if he has a big kick return in this game. Advantage: Georgia.
Vegas has Alabama as a slight favorite, but Lorenzo Carter, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb all came back to UGA for their senior seasons and turned down big NFL money. This is a magical season for UGA and the championship game is in Georgia’s capital Atlanta.
Prediction: Georgia 24- 20. The University of Georgia your 2017 College Football National Champions in a season that will never be forgotten in state of Georgia.
