Prime Time Recruiting
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Travis Hunter, the country’s top recruit, spurned Florida State during the early-signing period. The prodigious athlete abandoned his long-time commitment to FSU in the final hours of his recruitment for Jackson State, an FCS program led by Seminoles’ legend Deion Sanders.
Sanders, who’s led the HBCU in Jackson (Miss.) since 2020, promised to shock the world during the Early Signing Period.
He didn’t disappoint, but broke the hearts of the FSU fan base in the process. Hunter announced his decision on Wednesday during a signing ceremony at his school, tossing an FSU hat to the side while putting on a Jackson State hat and shirt.
Hunter, the five-star prospect out of Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) was one of the highest-ranked recruits in the history of recruiting services with a Composite Grade of 0.9999. He grew up an FSU fan and was committed to the Seminoles since the spring of 2020.
But Jackson State’s late push, believed to be backed by Name Image Likeness, doomed FSU’s chances late.
It’s a critical blow to the recruiting efforts of Mike Norvell and the 2022 recruiting cycle. FSU was pushing for a Top 10 class, but losing the prodigious prospect derails that hope and puts the future of the Norvell Era in a tenuous position.
FSU’s staff was viewing Hunter as a two-year player, who could help out immediately on either side of the ball as a true freshman.
In the last three seasons, Hunter had 19 interceptions while also scoring 46 receiving touchdowns (in addition to recording 3,807 receiving yards).
In addition to bolstering FSU’s class rank, Hunter was an alpha dog for FSU on the recruiting trail as he helped guide various prospects to the Seminoles — including five-star defensive back Sam McCall — and weather the storm after an 0-4 start to the season.
McCall has already requested out of his National Letter of Intent and will be back on the market soon enough. Florida State is asking him to take a few days to consider.
The NLI is pointless at this point as it costs a counter if you force the kid to enroll and, until they enroll, it does not count as a transfer. Likewise, they can transfer anywhere immediately so it’s a mutually assured destruction situation where no one wins. This is what happened famously with Zach Evans and UGA.
More bad news for Seminole fans, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard four-star wide receiver Devaughn Mortimer has flipped his commitment from Florida State to Louisville and Tift County four-star defensive tackle Tyree West flipped to Tennessee.
Again, FSU is 5-7 and likely going to sign the best class for a team with a losing record in the early signing period.
This class is beyond impressive once you realize the hurdles the staff had to overcome, even if those hurdles were somewhat self-imposed. The jury is still out if this staff can recruit and it will be interesting to see what they can do on-field in 2020.
My final thoughts: has he done more damage to the FSU program in the last 4 months than he did to help FSU in the previous 35 years? Is Deion’s contribution to FSU now officially a net negative or a net positive?
Ill Play There
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
National Early Signing Day has come and gone for college football and here is what the top 10 looked like:
1.Texas A&M
2.Alabama
3.Georgia
4.Ohio State
5.Texas
6.Penn State
7.Notre Dame
8.North Carolina
9.Michigan
10.Oklahoma
Here are some of my take aways from National Early Signing Day:
Texas A&M-This is Jimbo Fisher’s first #1 class, however A&M has consistently been in the top 10 over the last few years. This has not translated into being relevant in the National Championship picture or even in the SEC West.
Notre Dame and Oklahoma-Both of these programs did well to finish in the top 10, considering they both lost their head coaches weeks before National Early Signing Day.
North Carolina-The Tar Heels once again finished inside the Top 10, second straight year. Possibly a rising ACC power?
Kentucky-The Wildcats finished with the 11th class in the country. Yes, you read that right, 11th! Kentucky is making a case to replace Florida as the second-best team in the SEC East.
Florida State and Tennessee-Two blue bloods hoping to wake up the echoes. Their recruiting classes will help. FSU finished 13th and Tennessee 14th.
Clemson-The Tigers were a perennial Top 5 program when it came to recruiting for a decade. Looks like the guard is changing in the ACC as the Tigers finished 17th.
Georgia Tech-The Yellow Jackets have recruited well the last few years under Geoff Collins, without a lot of wins to show for it. Tech finished 25th last year, but dipped to 41 this season. A bad omen for Geoff Collins.
UCF and Cincinnati-These two soon-to-be Big 12 teams have been the flies in the ointment of the college football playoff and you would think that would translate to better recruiting classes, it hasn’t. Cincinnati finished 38th and UCF 42nd.
Vanderbilt-Something must be in the water in Nashville as the Commodores netted a top 40 class for the first time in… who knows how long. 38th
Florida-The Gators’ dumpster fire only gets worse. The mighty Gators ended up with the 50th ranked class in the country. New Hire Billy Napier was left with a mess. Recruit after recruit decommitted from the swamp. Good luck, Billy.
Miami-Another big mess to clean up in the state of Florida. Mario Cristobal will have his work cut out for him too. The Hurricanes finished 62nd.
USC-The mighty Trojans finished with only 6 commits. SIX! Good enough for 81st.
Georgia State-The Panthers must get credit. They cracked the top 100 with the 84th class. This program keeps getting better.
Georgia Southern-The Eagles must improve from being outside of the top 100 to compete. They reeled in the 109th class.
Game Changer
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Mario Cristobal is heading home.
The Cuban-American, who won two national titles at Miami while playing for the Hurricanes, is set to become the program’s next head coach according to multiple reports.
It’s a monumental acquisition for Miami and one that will have major recruiting implications, not only in the Sunshine State, but across the country with the Early Signing Period less than two weeks away.
Some members of the media may point to Oregon’s flat performance in last week’s Pac-12 title game and try to knock the hire for Miami.
They might point to Miami’s clumsy handling of the Manny Diaz situation, too. That criticism is fair, but those same individuals need to understand what exactly the Hurricanes are getting in Cristobal; a battle-tested recruiter that’s going to get the best talent to Coral Gables.
Since Cristobal took over for Willie Taggart in Eugene, the Ducks have signed the nation’s No. 6, No. 7, No. 11 and No. 13-ranked recruiting classes.
This year’s group is pacing to finish ranked inside the top 10, as well. To the average college football fan, that might not seem impressive — good programs should get good players — but Oregon isn’t exactly a football hotbed. In fact, the state has produced less than a dozen NFL Draft picks over the past five years.
So, with Cristobal and his staff not really in a position to shop in their backyard every cycle, they have had to recruit nationally, and Cristobal has had plenty of success doing just that.
Back in 2019, the Ducks went into Los Angeles and beat out college football’s best pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, the nation’s top-ranked prospect.
Impressive, but what should have Miami fans excited about the Cristobal hire is the fact that Cristobal isn’t going to have to recruit nationally like he did at Oregon.
The Hurricanes can turn into a College Football Playoff contender with recruits nearby in the Sunshine State, and more specifically South Florida.
South Florida is overstocked with blue-chip talent every year. That means all Cristobal really has to do is keep a bulk of the five and four-stars home every cycle.
It would be a bit ridiculous to assume that Cristobal will sign everyone within an hour drive of Miami’s campus (Nick Saban is always going to get his and it’s starting to look that way with Kirby Smart) but his name should have the Hurricanes in position to land a lot of talent as the general feeling inside the ever so powerful South Florida high school football circles is that Cristobal gets it: that means coaches and parents will want their kids to play for Cristobal.
All Area Team
All-Area
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2021 season has come to an end for the coastal Georgia football teams and once again we there was a lot of talent on display on the field.
Here is my Coastal Georgia All-Area team consisting of players from Camden County, Glynn Academy, Brunswick High, McIntosh County Academy and Frederica Academy.
Offense
QB-Tyler Devlin (Glynn)
RB-Jordan Triplett (Frederica)
RB-Chuckobe Hill (Brunswick)
RB-Austin Crosby (MCA)
TE-Trey Elvine (Brunswick)
WR-Terry Mitchell (Brunswick)
WR-Bryce Reilly (Frederica)
OL-Jacob Aiken (Frederica)
OL-Noah Demeritt (Camden)
OL-Daniel Rush (MCA)
OL-Ashton Frankel (Frederica)
OL-Kanaya Charlton (Brunswick)
Defense
DL-Iman Davis (Camden)
DL-K’Shawn Thomas (Brunswick)
DL-DJ Clinch (Glynn)
DL-Will Jones (MCA)
LB-Will Dykstra (Camden)
LB-Devin Smith (Brunswick)
LB-Colton Seay (Glynn)
LB-Jadin Jones (Camden)
CB-Jayden Drayton (Brunswick)
CB-Jalen Rogers (MCA)
S-Zach Andreu (Camden)
S-Jake Lindsey (Camden)
Special Teams
K-McClain Fineran (Brunswick)
P-Adonis Coyle (Camden)
KR-Jamie Felix (Camden)
Coach Of The Year-Brandon Derrick (Frederica)
Getting To Know Napier
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The college football regular season is over.
Some coaches at prominent programs were fired and vacant positions are being filled.
USC lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma about 24 hours after they lost to Oklahoma State. He was the most high-profile coach on the market.
The Florida Gators fired head coach Dan Mullen. In my opinion Urban Meyer should have been targeted to return to Gainesville. He’s struggling in his first season in Jacksonville. Instead, the Gators hired Billy Napier, who is currently the head ball coach at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Napier played quarterback for Furman from 1999 – 2002 and took over as the starting quarterback his junior year. He led the Paladins to the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game and they lost to Montana, 13 – 6. He earned second-team All-Southern Conference honors in 2001 and 2002.
His father is a high school football coach in Northern Georgia. Napier followed in his footsteps and started as a Grad Assistant at Clemson from 2003-04. From 2006-08 he was the tight end coach and recruiting coordinator for the Tigers.
In 2008 Tommy Bowden resigned and Dabo Swinney was named the interim head. Swinney promoted him to quarterback coach. When Swinney was promoted to the full-time head coach after the 2008 season, he promoted Napier to offensive coordinator. In 2009 Clemson scored a then school record 436 points and won the ACC Atlantic Division.
The offense was not nearly as productive in 2010 and he was fired after the season.
In 2011 he was hired by Nick Saban as an offensive analyst for Alabama. In 2012 and 2013 he made coaching stops at Colorado State and Florida State.
In 2013 he returned to Tuscaloosa as wide receiver coach and stayed there until 2016. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Arizona State in 2017.
In 2018 he was hired for the head coach position at Louisiana-Lafayette. His record for the Ragin’ Cajuns is 39 -12. They were 12 -1 this season and beat Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Championship game.
Hiring coaches from the Nick Saban coaching tree is very popular, considering he’s the best college coach of all time.
Every program is hoping they can replicate his success. Napier will make the 27th former Saban assistant to get hired as a head coach.
I think this is a decent hire for Florida. They have someone who has proven he is capable of turning a program around.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I rate this as a 7. Hopefully he can turn the Gators back into a powerhouse.
Smart Or Not?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
First and foremost, I am a huge fan of Kirby Smart.
After six years, some honest and constructive assessments seem fair game.
Kirby is hands down the best recruiter UGA has ever seen and probably the best in college football. The Athletic Board has given him a blank check for several hundred million dollars of new and upgraded facilities.
The UGA fan base is one of the most loyal, loud, rabid and die-hard in America. They show up and show out. Kirby has been given every possible resource at his disposal. He has proven himself as a phenomenal recruiter. He has not yet proven himself to be a phenomenal head coach.
Some guys are great defensive coaches. Kirby, Will Muschamp certainly qualify. Some guys are great offensive coaches. Todd Monken appears to be one of the best they have ever had at UGA.
But being a great Coordinator does not mean you will be a great Head Coach, just ask Muschamp and Mullen.
So far, Kirby has been a better than average Head Coach, and he has shown growth and improvement during his six years.
Clearly there are other coaches who have done more with a lot less talent and sub-standard facilities. Kirby is building a program for the long haul. No shortcuts. But to quote Kirby, “you’re either elite or you’re not” and Kirby is not an elite coach … YET.
Elite professionals work as hard improving themselves as they do improving others.
They don’t let egos or stubbornness impede their personal growth. I don’t know if that is what is happening with Kirby this season or not, but the next few weeks will certainly answer the question.
Kirby has tried beating Bama twice with Stetson Bennett. He failed both times.
He has more than enough film to prove he is not going to beat his mentor with Stetson Bennett. He also saw Auburn take Bama to 4 OT ‘s by playing man defense and pressuring Young with a constant blitz.
Georgia has three of the brightest defensive minds and through stubbornness or ignorance, they stayed in zone defense, with no pressure, and allowed Young to pick the Dawgs apart. Auburn had 7 sacks; Dawgs had zero.
Elite coaches will ADMIT their mistakes and make the necessary corrections. Time will tell if Smart has that skill set or not. And soon, we will see if Kirby can become an elite coach.
If he continues to do the same thing and expect different outcomes, then we will know Georgia hired a phenomenal recruiter, and an above average head coach.
Flame away if you like, but these are my constructive thoughts. Good news is you won’t have to wait but about a month to find out if I’m right or not.
Reevaluate the quarterback situation and get JT Daniels ready to play. I don’t know if it will happen but I do believe it needs to. I know many Dawg fans want to see Daniels under center against Michigan.
UGA has to get healthy and get some guys ready to play.
The STAR/nickel position got exploited against Alabama. I think the staff needs to get Kamari Lassiter or Javon Bullard or whoever ready to play winning football going into the playoffs.
The bottom line is Kirby Smart has built an Elite Program but can he win the BIG GAME?
SEC Hardwood
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re about two weeks into the college basketball season. The SEC is known for football but there are several programs ranked in the top 25 in basketball.
It looks like Kentucky will have some competition after a down 2020-21 season. Let’s examine the ranked teams to see who the real contenders are.
#10 Alabama: The Crimson Tide (4 – 0) have been doing well on the hardwood lately. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last season and lost to UCLA in overtime.
They also won the SEC Tournament. Alabama finished last season ranked No. 5 in the final AP Poll and Coaches Poll. Those were the school’s highest season-ending rankings since 1956.
Junior guard Jaden Shackelford leads the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game. Junior Jahvon Quinerly averages 15.5 PPG and senior Keon Ellis averages 14.5 PPG.
Alabama heads to the ESPN Events Invitational this week in Orlando, where it will meet Iona on Thursday at 4 p.m. CT in a rematch of its NCAA tournament opener in March. They will play either Belmont or Drake on Friday, with a chance to meet Kansas on Sunday in the finale. The Jayhawks are No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the coaches poll this week.
# 10 Kentucky: The Wildcats (3 – 1) lost the third game of the season to No. 5 Duke, 79 -71. Last season they finished 9 – 16, their worst season since 1988-89.
Since head coach John Calipari took over in 2009, he’s built the team with the top one-and-done players every season. Surprisingly, out of the top four scorers on the team only one is a freshman.
Freshman TyTy Washington Jr. and junior forwards Oscar Tshiebwe, Keion Brooks all lead the team with 13 PPG.
The next four games are against Albany, North Florida, Central Michigan and Southern. Those should all be blow out wins. The schedule gets tougher after that with games against Notre Dame and Ohio State.
#13 Arkansas: The Razorbacks (3 – 0) are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. In 2020-21 they were 25 -7 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Senior guard JD Notae leads the team with 21.7 PPG. Fellow senior Chris Lykes averages 15.7 PPG.
They have eight games before conference play begins December 29th and only two of those games are against Power 5 teams. They should be undefeated during this stretch.
#15 Tennessee: The Vols (3 – 1) just played some elite teams over the weekend in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament. They were blown out by No. 5 Villanova 71 – 53 on Friday. They rebounded Saturday and beat No. 18 North Carolina, 89 -72. They have some marquee games against Colorado, Texas Tech, No. 9 Memphis and No. 17 Arizona before SEC play starts.
#19 Auburn: The Tigers (3 – 0) have been doing well the last few seasons since Bruce Pearl took over as head coach in 2014. They advanced to the Final Four in 2019 and would have been in the 2020 NCAA Tournament if it was not cancelled due to the pandemic. Last year they were 13 – 14.
They play UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas for their next game. No. 24 Michigan State, No. 6 Baylor and Syracuse are potential opponents in the next round.
#23 Florida: The Gators (3 – 0) play Cal in the Fort Myers Tip-Off this week. They will face No. 21 Seton Hall or Ohio State in the next round.
The best team they have played so far is Florida State and they won 71 – 55.
Chomped
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, here we are in the smoldering aftermath of the Damn Mullen era at UF.
It was fun at first, but ultimately, bad roots produced bad fruits.
Mullen is gone and before we turn to the excitement of the coaching search, here are a few takeaways that I think we should all keep in mind for the future:
CFB is a recruiting game; recruiting sorts out all the small details on the field automatically- There are no “master developers”, Portal Kombat is a fantasy, and coaching only beats talent when talent isn’t coached.
Want to know if your team is on the path to an SEC Championship? Show me a composite top-5 class or a superstar QB. Until 30 years of history are proven wrong, that’s reality for today’s game.
Long-term rebuilds are like unicorns. I love the idea, but I sure can’t find one. Only 2 coaches since the early 90s have won their first SEC after year 3 at a school. One had a #1 overall class (Fulmer at Tennessee in 97) and one had a superstar QB (Tuberville at Auburn in 04). But again, winning fast means recruiting fast.
Dan Mullen is not Dabo Swinney and UF is not Clemson 2007. Assembling a great first staff and quickly acquiring a top-notch QB are huge. I could go on at length about this, but instead I’ll offer my evidence in six words: Knox over Seider. Jones over Corral. So, yeah. Watch this carefully over the next year.
The offensive line is still THE biggest personnel issue on this team, dating back to the Meyer era, and it must be fixed if the program is going anywhere.
The program stopped signing quality in numbers at the position around 2010 and it has been crippling to one degree or another ever since. Unlike other positions, the unit comprises almost a quarter of the starting 22, and this lack of excellence can’t continue.
The Gator program must recruit Florida’s elite athletes better if they’re to rise. There’s no way around it. They can’t make up for the home state futility in California, with a national approach, or through the portal.
An entirely new approach to recruiting is necessary that exploits every advantage and loophole. Bags and facilities are tools, but they weren’t why Mullen sucked. Lack of effort, lack of communication, lack of organization, lack of creativity, and lack of having more were the reasons.
It’s time for the program to be transformed into a recruiting organization first and foremost. They must find ways to capitalize on what the rules allow. They must use NIL to the fullest.
People will lie to you in this business, because tickling your ears is good for profit and popularity. Things have certainly improved, but there are still those out there who will mislead fans with optimistic reports that have little factual grounding.
One such profiteer got mad at me on Twitter a few years back when I called him out publicly for lying to fans, telling them “Mullen is en route to a top-5 class”. He demanded that I call him, which I did. When I asked him why he was telling fans that UF was in great position to land Dontae Lucas (who had a family connection to the FSU staff) and other unrealistic targets, he said “where does it leave me business wise if I’m not optimistic”. As consumers, you have a right to look at people’s track record and to ask them to show their math.
We’re fortunate in many ways to have had Mullen when we did. It’s been hashed and beaten to death, but none of the other available coaches that year would have been any better.
Probably a lot worse. We kept ourselves relevant enough to be distanced from Tennessee, Miami, and FSU. The Gators are probably not far off from CFP contenders if the new coach has a passion for recruiting – and it starts with AR15.
To end my breakup letter, I’m glad it’s over, and I’m excited for the future. I never liked him and I am thrilled, but I will always wonder what he might have been able to do here if he wasn’t such a gaping, stubborn, arrogant SOB.
Commit To The Spear
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s time to give Mike Norvell some credit. For the better part of the past six months, one of the biggest questions out there has been whether or not FSU will be able to hold onto the bulk of its No. 13-ranked recruiting class.
For a while, it looked like the answer was no, especially after Week 3’s stunning loss to Jacksonville State, but after FSU’s last-minute comeback win over their rival Miami, one would have to think that the Noles are in prime position to keep most of what it has committed.
Norvell and his staff decided to roll the dice and welcome a large group of visitors to Tallahassee for the showdown with the Hurricanes. Sure, there was bound to be plenty of energy inside Doak Campbell Stadium, but the Seminoles were in no way guaranteed to walk away with a W.
That’s why when Jordan Travis barreled his way into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, a party broke out on FSU’s sidelines. The Seminoles not only snapped a three-game losing streak in the series, but managed to do so in front of nearly its entire recruiting class along with another dozen or so top targets.
Among the visitors Saturday, FSU had the nation’s No. 1-ranked overall prospect Travis Hunter. While the longtime FSU commit had his name linked to Georgia as a possible flip destination, yet he continues to say all the right things about the Seminoles.
Hunter was quick to celebrate Saturday’s win by sharing a 15-minute video from FSU’s locker room to his social media, which was capped off by Jermaine Johnson smashing a rock that had “The U” on it.
Given what’s happening with all the coach rumors at Florida and Miami, the Seminole must capitalize on these speculations. The State of Florida will be wide open for Norvell to dominate in recruiting,
This is the same opportunity Jimbo Fisher took full advantage of when Urban Meyer left. This 4 and 14 game could be the avalanche the Seminole need to build their roster with elite talent.
If Florida State can somehow manage to win out, I predict a top 7 class this season. But if the Seminole’s do not make a Bowl Game, don’t be shocked with a wave of “Respect My Decision” messages on social me
Norvell and the Seminoles aren’t going to sign all of those blue-chip targets. Heck, they might not even get one, but there’s no doubt that their win over Miami improved FSU’s chances with each recruit who attended that win, and that’s big for Norvell as he tries to build the Seminoles back into a championship contender.
Figuring Out The Ramblin’ Wreck
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Last season Georgia Tech made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
The Yellow Jackets were 17 – 9 and 11 – 6 in the ACC. They finished fourth in the conference. They won the ACC Tournament by beating 15th ranked Florida State in the championship game. It was their first ACC Tournament Championship since 1993.
Georgia Tech lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Loyola (IL), 71 – 60.
Head coach Josh Pastner was hired in 2016. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2017 for leading Tech to a 21 – 16 record. He led them to wins against a top 5 North Carolina team and top-10 Florida State.
Last season’s team was led by senior forward Moses Wright, who was the AP ACC Player of the Year. He averaged 18 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Jose Alvaredo was another key contributor from last season that has to be replaced.
This season started with an upset loss at home to Miami (Ohio), 72 – 69. Pastner is now 3 – 3 in season openers at Tech. Miami is the third mid-major from the state of Ohio to beat Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion in the last five seasons.
Games like this are supposed to be easy wins. They need as many of those as possible before conference play starts. They bounced back to beat Stetson the next game, 77 – 52.
“We were far from perfect, but when we play with great energy, we’re a good basketball team,” coach Josh Pastner said.
The last game was a 75 – 66 win against Lamar. Lamar has a new head coach and they were 10 – 18 last year. The Yellow Jackets led by 22 points in the first half but looked sluggish in the second half.
“We definitely should have played harder,” said Jordan Usher, who finished with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds but also turned the ball over four times. “I felt like we came out kind of lethargic at halftime and we can’t do that coming down the stretch when we play more skilled teams. But props to Lamar. We just need to be better.”
Tech had 10 turnovers. The announced crowd attendance was only 3,625 people so it was far from a packed house. They are struggling with figuring out roles for returning players and newcomers.
“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing,” Pastner said. “If we’re playing a Division III team, a Division II team, if we’re playing Lamar, if we’re playing North Carolina or we’re playing Gonzaga or we’re playing the Atlanta Hawks – if we don’t have energy, it can be a recipe for disaster.”
Georgia Tech currently has two players that average double digits in scoring. Senior guard Michael Devoe leads the team with 21.5 points per game. Senior forward Jordan Usher averages 13 PPG and 10 RPG. Freshman guard Dallan “Deebo” Coleman is third in scoring with 9 PPG. I think that will increase if he gets more playing time.
The next game is Friday at Georgia. The Bulldogs are 1 – 1 and will play South Carolina State before they play Tech. This is a game Tech needs to win against their archrival because they don’t have a chance in football.
The next two games after that are against Charleston Southern and Georgia Southern, both at home. Then things get tougher December 1st against Wisconsin in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will see if Georgia Tech is a team that can make the NCAA Tournament.
