A Little Too Much Buzz?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech has started the college football season 5-0. That is impressive because most people did not predict this would happen. The Yellow Jackets beat Wake Forest (2-2) over the weekend, 30-29 in overtime. They dropped one spot in the AP Poll to #17.
“I’m extremely excited to win the football game,” head coach Brent Key said. “We’ve got two weeks now to deal with those things.”
It is tough to win games, especially against conference opponents. The two games Wake Forest has won were against Kennesaw State and Western Carolina. The Demon Deacons barely beat KSU in the season opener, 10-9.
We have to now ask, is Georgia Tech a legitimate contender to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoffs?
My answer is no and I have to use this Wake Forest game as an example. I know Tech was on the road but they trailed 20-3 early in the second half. The Yellow Jackets looked sluggish on both sides of the ball and let an inferior team dominate them for most of the game. I could argue that they showed toughness by coming back to win the game.
There was a blown offsides call against Georgia Tech with 1:50 left in the game and Wake Forest had the ball on third down. Quarterback Robby Ashford threw an incomplete pass, thinking he had a free play. That causes the Deacons to punt the ball with a three-point lead.
Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert told reporters Ashford “did what he’s trained to do, and that’s take a shot because he doesn’t know if it’s offside or not.”
An ACC spokesperson told the Associated Press that offside should have been called on the play. If officials had made the correct call, then Wake would have gained a first down with the penalty yards. Tech had no timeouts left, so the Demon Deacons could have secured the victory by running out the clock.
“I think there’s something special about this team, not even looking in the future, just the present with that just happened,” quarterback Haynes King said. “To overcome that, on the road, it’s just the maturity that we have. The trust that we have, players to players and coaches to players.”
Tech has a bye week coming up. Their next game is on October 11th at home against Virginia Tech (2-3). The Hokies lost to Old Dominion 45-26, so this should be an easy win for the Yellow Jackets.
The rest of the season they should be favored against everyone except for #12 Georgia. After Va Tech they play at Duke, Syracuse, at NC State, at Boston College, Pitt and UGA. I think they will lose at least one conference game. I also expect them to lose to Georgia.
If Tech advances to the ACC Championship Game, they will probably play #3 Miami or #18 Florida State. Both of those teams are more talented, so I would expect them to beat the Jackets.
If Georgia Tech can get to nine or ten wins, that will be considered a good season. They were 7-6 last year so that is a major improvement.
Time To Step Up
By: Cameron Miller
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jacksonville Jaguars are just three weeks into the 2025 season, but their 2–1 record already tells us a story of grit, growth, and some lingering inconsistencies.
After an offseason that came with a good bit of change, with new head coach Liam Coen leaving Tampa Bay to take over the reins in Jacksonville following their disastrous 4–13 disappointment from last year.
The Jaguars have shown signs of a team that is ready to contend again in the AFC South. At the same time, they’ve also revealed enough cracks to remind fans and players that the climb back to potential playoff form might not be as simple as some had hoped.
The brightest development has been the resurgence of the running game.
After a slow season last year former 1st round pick Travis Etienne has picked up right where he left off a year ago as Jacksonville’s most reliable offensive weapon.
Through three weeks, he’s delivered explosive plays on the ground and in the passing game, including a game-clinching touchdown against Houston in Week 3. His blend of speed and vision has given the Jaguars the ability to control the tempo of games and avoid leaning too heavily on the passing game when things bog down.
Another player, who in my opinion, has come out of the gates headfirst is this year’s 4th round pick, Bhayshul Tuten. With the unexpected emergence of Tuten the Jags were able to make a big decision which was to trade former 3rd round pick, running back Tank Bigsby to the Eagles.
On defense, linebacker Foye Oluokun has been the tone-setter. He’s not only piling up tackles but also forcing turnovers, including an interception and a fumble recovery that swung the opener against Carolina. The pass rush, led by Travon Walker and Josh Allen, has also produced steady pressure, helping the defense notch three or more sacks in two of the first three games.
When this group is flying around, Jacksonville looks like the tough, opportunistic defense Coen envisioned.
Another key thing that needs to be recognized is through the first 3 weeks of the season this Jaguars defense is leading the NFL with 7 total interceptions.
The Wide receiver room is unfortunately beginning with their fair share of struggles. Even though they haven’t come out guns blazing like some may have hoped, they have still provided flashes of what we could start to see consistently in the near future.
Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has shown his big-play potential with deep catches, while wide receiver / cornerback Travis Hunter has been tested early and hasn’t shied away from the challenge. Their development will be key in determining just how far this roster can go in 2025.
Still, the season so far has been far from flawless. The most glaring issue remains Trevor Lawrence’s inconsistency.
While he’s shown poise and accuracy at times including three touchdown passes in the narrow Week 2 loss at Cincinnati, turnovers have been a recurring problem. Lawrence has already thrown multiple interceptions in a game, and those miscues have stalled drives and flipped momentum, but you can’t blame all of the passing issues on Lawrence being that the Jaguars have one of the highest drop rates in the entire league. For a team still learning to close out tough contests, ball security will be critical.
Penalties have also haunted the Jaguars. They were penalized 11 times in the opener and were flagged for a costly pass interference in Cincinnati that helped extend the Bengals’ game-winning drive. Discipline has been a theme since training camp, and it’s clear the team is still trying to iron out the details for Coen’s new system.
Another concern for the Jags is their efficiency in the red zone. Jacksonville has been able to consistently move the ball between the 20s but seem to have to often fall short and settle for field goals rather than touchdowns and like we all know when you’re in a competitive game against a quality opponent, leaving points on the board could be the difference between a playoff push and another mediocre season.
At 2–1, Jacksonville finds themselves in 2nd place in the AFC South, behind only the Indianapolis Colts. The surprisingly near elite level of play from Daniel Jones is seeming to make a division that looks winnable into an increasingly competitive fight.
Texans remain dangerous with their young core, while Tennessee also can’t be overlooked.
For the Jaguars to stay ahead, they’ll need Lawrence to stabilize his play and really start to establish the passing game, the offensive line needs to hold up against elite fronts so this run game can keep driving full steam, and the defense to continue generating turnovers at the high level they are currently.
The early weeks have at least proven this to us, the Jaguars under Liam Coen are more resilient than they were a year ago.
In 2024, close games hardly ended competitively. In 2025, Jacksonville has already shown they can hang in and finish the job, like they showed in the grind-it-out win over Houston. That kind of toughness was missing last year and could be the foundation of something bigger under Coen.
The next stretch of the schedule will test the Jaguars’ growth.
Matchups against San Francisco and Kansas City will serve as true measuring sticks for a team still trying to establish its identity.
Win one of those, and Jacksonville will prove that they belong back in the AFC playoff conversation.
For now, a 2–1 start gives us real hope that progress is being made.
The Jaguars have weapons on offense, they have playmakers on defense, and maybe most importantly they have a belief that wasn’t always there last season.
If they can clean up the mistakes, Jacksonville has the foundation to potentially be a contender once again.
Status Update
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Believe it or not we are already in the stretch run for playoff berths in High School Football.
For some the second season will start in November and for others it will be an early offseason to keep building.
Here is a rundown of some of the Coastal Georgia Teams and how they are doing.
Brunswick High Pirates: The Pirates are coming off of an improbable come from behind win over Glynn Academy in the City Championship Game 41-37.
The Pirates are 5-1 on the season and 4-0 in region 1-5A.
Brunswick’s offense is among the elite in the state and the Pirates have the inside track on winning the region and securing a #1 seed in the playoffs.
The Pirates have beaten Wayne County, Effingham, Evans, Greenbriar and Glynn Academy. The only loss for BHS came in the opening week on the road at Camden.
The Pirates still have Bradwell, Statesboro, Lakeside Evans and South Effingham on the schedule…all region games.
Glynn Academy Red Terrors: The Terrors took their second region loss to their archrival Brunswick High. The Terrors are 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the region. I don’t thing the Red Terrors will lose another regular season game and I predict them to claim the #2 seed in region 1-5A.
Glynn has beaten Wayne County, Statesboro and Lakeside Evans. The Terrors dropped games to Richmond Hill, Bradwell and Brunswick.
The remainder of the Terrors schedule is pretty favorable with games against Evans, South Effingham, Effingham and Greenbriar.
Camden County Wildcats: The Wildcats suffered a lopsided loss to Valdosta to start Region 1-6A play. It was the first loss of the season for the Wildcats.
Region 1-6A is arguably the toughest in the state and making the playoffs, no matter the seed, is an accomplishment.
Camden is 5-1 on the season and 0-1 in region play. The Wildcats have beaten Brunswick, East Lake, West Broward, Ribault and Royal Palm Beach.
The schedule moving forward will not be friendly for Camden as all will be region games. The Wildcats will travel to Richmond Hill, Colquitt and Tift. They only have one home game remaining, which is against Lowndes. I look for Camden to make the playoffs as a #3 or #4 seed.
MCA Buccaneers: The Buccaneers are 2-3 overall and are 1-2 in region 1-2A Division 2.
The first part of their schedule has been brutal but will ease over the last month of the season. MCA has beaten The Islands, and Claxton. The Bucs have dropped games to Charlton, ECI, and Screven County.
The remaining docket for the Buccaneers includes road trips to Jenkins County, and Metter while they will host Bryan and Savannah.
With 2 region losses the Bucs have their backs against the wall to make the playoffs. They will need wins against Bryan County and Metter in theory to get into the playoffs.
Brantley County Herons: It has been a very tough season for the Herons under second year coach David Shores.
The Herons are coming off of a 49-0 loss to Worth County. Brantley is 0-6 on the season. Losses include Charlton, Windsor Forest, Pierce, Vidalia, Jeff Davis and the aforementioned Worth County.
The 2025 schedule is brutal. The Herons still have games against Fitzgerald, Thomasville, Berrien and Bacon County.
This type of season will motivate the Herons to improve and strive to be a playoff team in 2026.
Frederica Academy Knights: The Knights opened the season on the road against GHSA Savannah and won convincingly 34-7.
Frederica is 3-3 on the season and will be entering play in October. The GISA does not seed teams based on region record but instead on Max Preps Power Rankings.
Frederica has beaten Savannah, Tiftarea, and Brookwood. The Knights of St. Simons have dropped games against West Nassau, Valwood, and to Stratford Academy.
In my opinion Frederica is a playoff caliber team and will prove that in the remaining game against Robert Toombs, Bulloch Academy, Pinewood and St. Andrews.
I look for Frederica to finish with a 6-4 record.
Unbelievable
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The City Championship Game between the Brunswick High Pirates and Glynn Academy Red Terrors makes for great Friday Night Football most years.
The 2025 edition was more than a great game; it may go down as the greatest City Championship game ever and with that launched Brunswick QB Grant Moore into legend Stratosphere.
Going into the game the Brunswick High Pirates were huge favorites. The Pirates came in with a 4-1 record and were undefeated in Region 1-5A.
Meanwhile, the Glynn Academy Red Terrors came in 3-2 and already lost a region game in an upset to Bradwell Institute.
The game was back and forth in the 1st half and the Red Terrors took a 14-13 lead into the locker room at the half.
The 3rd quarter and early 4th quarter belonged to the Red Terrors as they extended their lead to 37-21 with about 7 minutes left in the football game.
Red Terrors Coach Rocky Hidalgo had pressed all the right buttons, 2-pont conversions, trick plays, a fake punt and more importantly had limited the Pirates’ offense playing a ball control type of game.
Glynn was driving late in the 4th and had the ball inside the Brunswick 20-yard line and were about to score the back breaking touchdown that would have created chaos in the region and given the Terrors an inside track to a region title.
Then things got crazy. Glynn fumbled the ball when they were about to score the knockout blow and the Grant Moore Show took centerstage at Glynn County Stadium.
Moore marched the Pirates down the field making big throw after big throw. The Pirates scored again on a TD pass from Moore and cut the lead to 37-34.
The Pirates attempted an onside kick and recovered with just under 2 minutes to play. Once again Moore made clutch pass after clutch pass before Nigel Gardener scampered into the end zone with 31 seconds to play giving the Pirates a miracle 41-37 lead.
Moore finished the football game 14/18 passing for 336 yards and 4 TDs.
The Pirates would intercept a desperation throw from Glynn QB Max Noonan to seal an improbable come from behind 41-37 win to remain unbeaten in the region and more importantly win their second consecutive City Championship.
Both Rocky Hidalgo and BHS coach Garrett Grady coached their tails off in this game and proved once again they are elite coaches in the state of Georgia.
If Grant Moore does not receive more Division 1 offers after his performance against Glynn I am not sure what scouts are looking for.
Grading The Boro
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Now that we are at the halfway point of the regular season (some slightly passed the halfway point, it’s time that we get a progress report on the Bulloch County football teams for the 2025 season.
Southeast Bulloch (3-3; 3-2 Region 3-3A) | Grade: B-
This grade would have been very different this time last week. The Southeast Bulloch offense took a step back this past Friday after falling to Liberty County 10-7 on the road in Hinesville.
The Yellow Jackets defense held their own as they have all season long. However, the Jackets offense struggled to get anything going. Southeast Bulloch is hoping the offensive woes (including two fumbles) were an anomaly, because the Jacket offense has been good this year at times.
Led by Colby Smith and Jayden Murphy at running back, Southeast Bulloch has used the ground game to dominate wins over Islands, Windsor Forest, and Johnson.
The only blemish in region play entering the Liberty County contest was a fantastic high school football game but ended in a Calvary win 28-24.
The Jackets opened the year falling to cross-county rival, Statesboro, but has grown exponentially since that weather-altered matchup.
While the defense has been knocking on the door of the “A” territory, the offensive struggles against Liberty County knock the grade down slightly, but the potential for this team is unmistakably there in Brooklet.
Statesboro (3-2; 2-1 Region 1-5A) | Grade: B+
Statesboro has been a little of Jekyll and Hyde this season with most of the time seeing vast improvements under third year head coach Matt Dobson.
Sophomore quarterback Beckham Jarrard has dazzled through four games played including a performance against Greenbrier that saw the young signal-caller throw for 156 yards and a score while also leading the team with 134 yards rushing as well.
The Blue Devils were thrown a curveball when Jarrard missed the Statesboro matchup with Bradwell Institute with injury.
The offense picked up the slack with Keon Childers (leads the team with nearly 600 rushing yards (587) and 10 touchdowns who converted from wide receiver to running back this offseason.
The Devils hope to get Beckham Jarrard back in the next few weeks after a coincidentally well-timed bye week this past weekend and the next match-up coming against a winless Lakeside team next week.
After tough losses to Veterans in week 2 and against Glynn Academy, Statesboro responded nicely with the win over Bradwell leading into the bye week and has momentum going down the back stretch.
Bulloch Academy (5-1; 0-0 Region) | Grade: A
Bulloch Academy…ahem…pardon me, that’s “2024 State Champion” Bulloch Academy has picked up where they left off in a championship claiming 2024 season.
Even through their first loss in two years, BA bounced back with convincing wins on the road against Strong Rock last week then at Tattnall Square Academy 52-13 in the most recent victory.
Danye Garvin (RB) and Sam Hubbard (QB) have led this team to a 5-1 record. There have been a couple of blemishes with some penalty issues, but playmakers have overcome that with names like Braylon Cone anchoring the D-Line with at 6’2” 294lbs. Look for BA to make some noise when postseason play rolls around.
Portal (2-4; 1-3) | Grade: C-
It’s been a tough go of it for the Portal Panthers this year but look to have some momentum after a big overtime win this week against Savannah 21-14 to cap off homecoming.
The Panthers, however, have had some impactful players emerge with three running backs with at least 250 yards rushing and combining for 12 touchdowns on the season as Zeke Percell leads the way with over 350 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns along with Jason Crawford and KJ Hunter adding quality depth.
The Panthers now head into a bye week and look to build off the homecoming win to make a playoff push in the final four contests.
While there have been some speedbumps for all four teams, there is also a real possibility that all four Bulloch County teams head into the postseason and keep the trend on the upward trajectory for all four programs.
Farewell Old Friend
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On Tuesday, the SEC will unveil every team’s conference opponents for the next four football seasons, including three designated annual foes. The three rivals each team will face went public recently, and most of the pairings made sense.
The SEC protected historic rivalries such as Georgia-Auburn, Alabama-Tennessee and games that mattered to nearby fan bases like Tennessee-Kentucky and South Carolina-Georgia.
A handful of the annual matchups, like Missouri-Texas A&M and Oklahoma-Ole Miss, are far from rivalries, and those are most likely to rotate after this four-year block when the league reassesses its schedules.
The SEC brass has not said what it used as a competitive balance barometer, but no team drew more than two permanent opponents in the upper half of the league’s wins leaderboard over the College Football Playoff and BCS eras. That tenet may allow for fair scheduling, but it cost the league one of its best annual rivalries.
Below, I list the SEC’s 7 best rivalries that, for now will no longer be played each year — starting with the most obvious omission.
- Alabama-LSU
This is painful. The LSU-Alabama series has become a staple of the November schedule, and the rivals have played every year since 1964. At least one team was ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in 12 of those matchups, and the programs have combined for nine national titles since 2003.
2.Tennessee-Florida
While this game had no real chance at annual preservation due to both sides’ rivalry priorities, it’s still a bummer to see it cycle off their schedules. Tennessee-Florida is a rivalry created by realignment, when the SEC placed both schools into the East Division in 1992. From 1916 until 1990, they played only 19 times. From 1990 through 2002, both teams were mainstays in the top 10, setting the stage for the SEC’s best rivalry over that time frame.
- Alabama-Georgia
Let’s start with the obvious: This had no shot at getting protected. Both programs must play Auburn, and the Alabama-Tennessee and Florida-Georgia rivalries are woven into the fabric of college football history. But even for these border heavyweights to face off twice every four years should be considered a win. This week’s matchup marks just the fourth time the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have met in the regular season since 2008. Over that time frame, Alabama-Georgia played four times in the SEC title game and twice for the CFP title.
- Tennessee-Georgia
Both Tennessee and Georgia are in the running for the most rivals of any team in the country. This series has a limited number of games — they didn’t play at all for a 31-year stretch and met only eight times from 1937 until 1992. But Tennessee-Georgia (No. 53) has produced some massive games in recent years. The teams have battled 20 times as ranked opponents, and their 2022 game featured the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Sanford Stadium history.
- Florida-LSU
During the divisional era, this was a permanent crossover. Then Florida-LSU (No. 64) played some outstanding games and have met every year since 1971, which justified keeping the rivalry intact. They have faced off in 25 ranked matchups, second-most among longtime SEC rivalries behind only Alabama-LSU. It’s also an unpredictable series, with the teams combining for nine top-10 upsets (Florida won five of those, LSU four).
- LSU-Mississippi State
This was the only SEC series with more than 100 meetings to get sacked. LSU-Mississippi State (No. 100 in the Top 100) has been played 117 times, but the expanded SEC’s schedule adjustments in the last two years resulted in this matchup becoming collateral damage. LSU could have a full SEC slate of opponents deemed a rival (including Auburn), but the Tigers’ surging series with Texas A&M and its propensity for great games with Arkansas take precedence. Mississippi State preserves the Egg Bowl with Ole Miss and gets an 80-mile drive to Alabama, plus four years of dates with Vanderbilt.
- Auburn-Florida
There was hope this one might return to yearly status, but it was competitively unbalanced. Auburn already has games with Alabama and Georgia, which rank No. 1 and No. 2 in total victories in the BCS/CFP era among SEC teams. To add Florida (which was sixth) would create major schedule disparity for the Tigers. Some Florida fans contend Auburn was the Gators’ No. 2 SEC rival after Georgia. It’s too bad because the teams played every year from 1945 through 2002, with 84 total meetings (Auburn leads 43-39-2).
Some fans do not like the new scheduling because they are so accustomed to the regional games, while others welcome the new balance in SEC scheduled. College football and especially the SEC is now on a national landscape and the schedule changes, promoting television eyes around the country.
Pay for Play?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Ryder Cup is one of those rare sporting events that just feels different.
Every two years the best from the United States and Europe square off and the pressure is unlike anything else in golf.
Players who are used to grinding for individual trophies suddenly become teammates. The roars are louder. The stage is bigger.
And for as long as most fans can remember, it has always been about pride and passion, not about money.
That is why the latest story about American players getting paid has stirred up so much noise. For the first time the PGA of America is giving each U S player and captain half a million dollars.
Three hundred thousand of it has to go to charity but the other two hundred thousand can go right into a player’s own pocket if he chooses.
That is where the controversy begins. Europe has stayed firm on playing for free. Rory McIlroy even said he would pay for the chance to play in the Ryder Cup. To them it is about history and honor, not about cash.
So which side has it right?
On one hand the American players have a fair point. The Ryder Cup makes a fortune for the PGA of America. Fans buy tickets, merchandise, and even $7,500 gold coins in the merchandise tent.
The television money is huge too. None of it happens without the players. They are the show. So why should they not share in the revenue?
But the flip side is pretty clear too. These golfers are already millionaires.
The lowest paid American Ryder Cupper this year still made more than three million in official earnings. Several made north of eight million.
Does anyone really believe two hundred thousand is going to change their lives? Probably not.
What it does change is the perception. Europe gets to look like they care more. They get to stand on the moral high ground and rally around the idea of playing for nothing but their flag and their tour. That matters in a team competition.
The Europeans love to remind everyone that they are in it for something bigger than themselves. The Americans now have to answer questions about greed and optics.
Even if guys like Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler and captain Keegan Bradley all say they will donate their full share to charity, the fact that players could keep the money is enough to make the whole thing messy.
Here is the simple answer. Give it all to charity. Every single dollar. Let the Ryder Cup be the one golf event where money is not the headline.
These players have plenty of income from purses, sponsorships, and appearance fees all year long. The Ryder Cup can be different. If the PGA of America wants to spread millions around, do it through foundations, junior golf programs, and local communities.
At the end of the day, fans do not come to Bethpage or watch from home because they want to see rich players get richer.
They come for the drama, the pressure, and the pride. Europe understands that and they use it as fuel. The United States risks losing more than just the moral argument if they cannot embrace the same spirit.
The Ryder Cup is too special to get bogged down in dollars. If American players really want to prove they care just as much as Europe, they should tell the PGA of America to send every penny to charity and then let their golf do the talking.
Left Behind?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Dabo Swinney became the head coach at Clemson on October 13, 2008.
Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the season and he was named the interim head coach. The Tigers beat South Carolina 31-14 on November 29, 2008. He went 4-3 and was named the head coach on December 1, 2008.
One of the first things Swinney did when he was hired as the interim head coach was introduce a new tradition, the “Tiger Walk”. This is when all players and coaches walk through the parking lot outside of Memorial Stadium about two hours before a game as they head inside for final game preparations. I though this tradition was around a lot longer so I was surprised to find that out.
He made Clemson into a national powerhouse and won two national championships. Coming into the 2025 season, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the preseason poll. They returned several starters from the 2024 team that was 10-4. They won the ACC Championship and made it to the College Football Playoffs.
Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik was considered a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy coming into the season. As you know Clemson has started the season 1-3.
The season started with a home loss to #9 LSU, 17-10. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. They beat Troy the next week, 27-16. The Tigers trailed at halftime, 16-3 before scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. We should have seen then that Clemson has a problem.
They lost at Georgia Tech Week 3, 24-21. The Yellow Jackets were unranked at the time but they are 4-0 now and ranked #16 in the AP Poll.
Swinney was asked about that loss and he went into a diatribe against his critics that he supposedly does not listen to.
“Why are we held to a different standard to all these other teams out there who ain’t never won nothing?” Swinney said.
“If Clemson wants me gone, they are tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going to go somewhere else to coach,” Swinney said. “I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55, I’ve got a long way to go.”
Then they played Syracuse at home this past Saturday. The Orange won, 34-21. The game was never close. Syracuse went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
Swinney has been outspoken against using the transfer portal and NIL. It seems like he is being left behind with the changing landscape of college football. He has a new critic, Nick Saban.
“Dabo needs to look at what he needs to do in his program to make his program continually be successful” Saban said. “Do you have to change (the use of) the portal? Do you have to change name, image and likeness? …The game has changed. You need to change with it. Otherwise, you’re not going to put yourself in the same position other people are and having the chance to be successful.”
Clemson has a bye week now and the next game is at North Carolina (2-2) on October 4th. This should be an easy win for Clemson.
The real question is, how will the rest of the 2025 season be remembered for the Tigers?
This could be the beginning of the end for Dabo or he could finally adapt with the times and make Clemson a dominant program again.
O-ffensive
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When Florida quarterback DJ Lagway threw his fifth interception Saturday night to seal the game at No. 3 LSU, athletic director Scott Stricklin pursed his lips and turned away.
Stricklin did not watch the replay. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the ground.
What else was there to see? What else is there to say?
The Gators 20-10 loss dropped them to 1-2 this season with plenty of the nation’s hardest schedule still ahead.
The numbers are grisly enough to spark questions about Napier’s buyout ($19.4 million at the end of this contract year) to intensify:
Three games into his fourth season, Napier is 20-21. That’s as many losses as Will Muschamp had, and Muschamp coached in eight more games. Napier’s winning percentage (.487) is the worst by any non-interim Florida coach since 1950.
He needs to win his next 28 games to match the winning percentage of Dan Mullen, who was fired.
Napier is 3-10 against Florida’s primary annual rivals. That’s 0-3 against Georgia, 1-2 against Tennessee and Florida State and 1-3 against the Tigers after last week.
Napier dropped to 4-15 against ranked opponents and 5-14 away from The Swamp.
Saturday was especially troubling if you watch the way the game played out. The athletes have not quit on Napier, and this loss wasn’t due to a lack of fight.
Florida was a willing participant in pregame shouting matches and a brief in-game scuffle.
The defense was good enough to win, starting the game with three consecutive three-and-outs and holding LSU to 316 total yards — the Tigers’ third-lowest output in three seasons under Brian Kelly.
The problem is the offense. Napier’s offense can’t score. Napier leads it after refusing to hire a play caller and doubling down on his role after last week’s 18-16 loss to South Florida.
This is an offense that Florida fans expect to light up scoreboards like they did under Steve Spurrier. This offense looks like it’s squandering a third consecutive NFL talent at quarterback, and this one might be the most promising of them all.
In Year 1, Napier’s quarterback was the No. 4 NFL Draft pick, Anthony Richardson. The Gators went 6-7.
For the next year and a half, Napier’s quarterback was Graham Mertz, who was drafted in the sixth round this spring. Gators went 8-10.
Since mid-October, Napier’s quarterback has been Lagway, the former five-star recruit and Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. After encouraging performances in 2024, Napier and Lagway have lost two in a row in 2025. Lagway’s five interceptions Saturday were the most by a Florida quarterback since 1992.
Despite those turnovers, the Gators were still competitive. An optimistic spin is: if you take away the pick six Lagway threw and add the 87-yard touchdown pass that was nullified by a holding call, Florida would’ve been right there.
“We’ve lost two in a row like that,” Napier said.
He’s right. The Gators had a pair of touchdowns negated by penalties in last week’s loss.
That doesn’t make Saturday night look or feel any better, especially because of how poorly the “Bull spit” game aged.
South Florida was blown out 49-12 on Saturday by No. 5 Miami — the same No. 5 Miami that hosts the Gators this week.
Napier is 0-1 against the Hurricanes, in case anyone was wondering.
If Napier is feeling the heat at this biggest pressure-cooker program, he isn’t necessarily showing it. When Urban Meyer lost in Baton Rouge in 2005, he cried in his postgame news conference. Napier started Saturday night’s address by complimenting his players and team leadership.
Stricklin, again, turned his head to the ground. He did not need to watch that replay, either. He’s seen this trainwreck too many times before, only difference is the conductor.
King Bee Down
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wednesday morning, the Wayne County School System announced that Wayne County Football Head Coach John Mohring has resigned in agreement with the school board.
The news comes after a 0-5 start in the second season under Mohring.
With a bye week this week for the Yellow Jackets, Wayne County will transition to new leadership this week as Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Justin McDonald will take over as the interim Head Coach for football.
In the 15 games under Mohring since he took over prior to the 2024 season, Wayne County was winless on the field.
One caveat to that was the 2024 matchup with Appling County. Appling defeated Wayne on the field, but Appling County was forced to vacate wins for the 2024 season due to GHSA violations in regard to recruiting and an ineligible transfer player.
There have been plenty of folks that have been unhappy around the Wayne County program with the on-the-field product, and rightfully so.
Since the beginning of 2024, Wayne County has been outscored in those 15 games by a mark of 584-100 including a 390-41 discrepancy last season. In the 10 games of 2024, Wayne County only scored more than 7 points once (the season opener against Glynn Academy) including being shutout 4 times on the year.
The offensive struggles continued this season through the first 5 games of the year as the offense only producing 106.8 yards of total offense per game (national average is 261.0 for reference).
A team that once dominated teams on the ground is now only averaging 62.4 yards rushing per game and putting up only 44 yards passing per game.
One of the most surprising numbers is this year, the Wayne County offense has only put up 28 points (including extra points), while the defense has elevated a couple scores with 2 defensive touchdowns.
Mohring took over the program after Jaybo Shaw left following the 2023 season.
Mohring left his position at Savanah Country Day in March.
At Savannah Country Day, Mohring led the Hornets to two playoff appearances and a 16-16 record in 3 seasons.
Now Mohring becomes the third GHSA coach to step down/be fired this season already with Banks County Todd Winter fired and Windsor Forest’s CJ Frazier stepping down for “personal reasons.”
Interim Head Coach Justin McDonald joined the Wayne County community when he took over the Wayne County baseball program in 2012.
Since then, he has added the Athletic Director title and also amassed over 300 wins on the diamond and is the all-time winningest baseball coach in Wayne County history.
Along the horizon for Wayne County, they open region play after the bye week with Warner Robins coming to Jesup on September 26th before 5 straight weeks of region matchups.
This year, three of the 5 region contests are set to take place at Jaycee Stadium with road trips going to Benedictine and Ware County.
I’m never a huge fan of making coaching moves in-season, but this felt like one that needed to be made.
Now Wayne County still has everything in front of them with an entire region schedule.
Does this turn around the season? Time will tell, but I know that Justin McDonald is not only a great coach, but a fantastic person and leader of men that can hold a team together.
