Welcome Back
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is starting to look like football season will go forward as scheduled in 2020.
That will be a welcome sight for a sport starved culture in the south, particularly the Southeastern Conference.
Let’s take a look at my top five returning players in the SEC. Again, remember these are my top 5 selections.
- George Pickens WR/Georgia: Pickens after a slow start, Pickens finished the 2019 season with 49 receptions for 8 TD’s.
He topped it off with a 12-catch performance in a Sugar Bowl win over Baylor.
Pickens should have a monster season in 2020, who ever the QB ends up being in Athens. Pickens is a rare talent and people in Athens have not been this excited about a receiver since AJ Green roamed the sidelines a decade ago.
Look for Pickens to be an all-conference performer this fall. By the way, Jaime Newman will be the man tossing the ball to Pickens.
- Najee Harris RB/Alabama: Najee Harris will be the best running back in the SEC this fall. I thought he was the best running back in the conference in 2019, His 1200 yards rushing and 20 total TD’s back up my claim.
Harris is also a great receiver out of the backfield. Harris averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2019, and Alabama will be the preseason favorite to win the conference in 2020. Harris could be a Heisman Trophy contender this fall.
- Jaylen Waddle WR/KR/Alabama: If you watched the NFL draft last week you noticed that Alabama had two wide receivers selected in the first round, and Waddle will be the next great Alabama WR.
Waddle is also the best return man in the SEC as well, with a kickoff and punt return touchdown in 2019.
The Tide will figure out ways to get Waddle the touches he needs to be a game changer this fall. Alabama has become Wide Receiver U in college football at the moment. Their offense should be pretty salty in 2020.
Waddle is said to run in the 4.35 range which will blow the top off an opposing defense.
- Ja’Marr Chase WR/LSU: Chase had 84 catches and 20 TD’s and was the best WR on the National Champion LSU Tiger roster in 2019.
Chase won’t have Joe Burrow tossing him the ball, but LSU will find ways to get him the touches he needs. He could be the first WR selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Could Chase be a back to back Biletnikoff Award winner? I would not bet against it.
He eats up opposing defensive backs and spits them out. Chase had 9 catches for 221 yards and 2 TD’s against Clemson in the national title game. He abused CB AJ Terrell of Clemson, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 16th pick in the first round.
Chase will be a future Pro Bowl WR at the next level.
- Derek Stingley Jr. CB/LSU: Stingley is the best returning player in the SEC, and maybe the country.
He had 6 interceptions as a freshman in 2019. He was a game changer for LSU in the SEC title game win over Georgia as Stingley picked off Jake Fromm twice.
This kid will be at LSU for two more seasons before he can declare for the NFL, and will probably be a top five pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Could a defensive player win the Heisman again? Coach O says Stingley will get touches on the offensive side of the ball also moving forward.
This kid is a generational cornerback and the best returning player in the SEC in 2020. I bet you opposing offensive coordinators will game plan around Stingley.
The Fall Of Fromm
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Jake Fromm’s career at the University of Georgia ended when he declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. Fromm was a three-year starter at Georgia. He took over for Jacob Eason early in his Freshman season and led Georgia to a National Championship Game.
His 8,224 career passing yards is fourth all-time in Georgia history. He’s second all-time in passing touchdowns with 78, fourth in completions with 621 and 5th in attempts with 982.
Those numbers are, honestly, not all that flashy; however, Fromm was 36-7, led Georgia to three straight SEC Championship Games, a playoff appearance, and national title appearance. Fromm is the greatest quarterback in modern Georgia’s football history.
Let’s go back to 2019. At this time ESPN was predicting Fromm to be the number 1 pick in the draft. So why did Jake slip so far in the NFL draft?
Fromm’s slide became the hot topic during the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft. Fromm looked visibly uncomfortable every time ESPN panned in his home.
The reason for his stock to drop is the pre-draft process did not go well for Jake. At the combine, he ran a horrible 40-yard dash (5.01). In the passing drills, he showed a lack of arm strength. His physical measurements were also in the low decile.
Due to Covid-19, Fromm was not able to have a pro day and was unable to meet face to face with teams.
To me, getting picked by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round with the 167th pick was a surprise. Buffalo already has a young starting quarterback in Josh Allen.
Jake Fromm’s fall in the draft highlights a flaw in Kirby Smart’s four seasons at Georgia. Smart’s offense is on its third offensive coordinator in three years. That does decline a player’s stock, no matter how many people say it doesn’t.
Smart’s quarterback room in 2018 included Justin Fields but Fields transferred to Ohio State. In his first season with the Buckeyes, Fields threw for 3,273 yards, 41 touchdowns, rushed for 484 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Georgia could not find a way to maximize Fields’ skills but somehow Ryan Day figured it out immediately in Columbus. Kirby had a couple of top quarterbacks in his program, but somehow ended up utilizing them poorly.
Why didn’t Fromm return to Georgia? Fromm left Georgia because the offense was not highlighting his skills. He escaped an offense that was sick with talent deficiency in the wide receiver department, as well as inexperience at coordinator positions and lack of creativity.
Jake Fromm’s numbers spoke for why he entered the draft. His completion percentage dipped by seven points, he threw six less touchdowns, and attempted 78 fewer passes.
Combine Jake’s poor showing at the NFL combine with Kirby Smart’s inept offense and now you see why Jake dropped to the 5th round.
The big question for Georgia fans: Was it more gut-wrenching watching Jake Fromm end up being picked in the fifth round? Or, watching former Georgia quarterback Justin Fields go top 10 in next year’s NFL Draft?
Varied Winds
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Trying to get a community of sports fans to come to a consensus of how the draft went for their favorite team is like asking coffee connoisseurs what their favorite brand is- everyone has an opinion and almost no two will be alike.
Even if you find a majority that agrees, it’s mostly determined on the first few rounds only; outside of an NFL scout, who has time to read up on every available player.
So, instead of grading the Falcons picks here are few observations that came to mind regarding Atlanta and the draft.
Because of Atlanta’s draft position, especially in the first few rounds, the end result was almost predetermined to be underwhelming. The main talking points after almost any pick revolve around “value” and “need vs. talent”.
Early in the round you’re more likely to find a player that meets all those criteria, and you know you won’t find one towards the end of the round, so you basically pick a lane and stick with it; the middle of the round can get tricky though.
Do you do what Atlanta did and pick a player like A.J. Terrell, whom most people believe fills a need, fits the system well, and was the best available at that position with the most upside, but is considered to be a reach at that spot, especially when there was better talent available?
What makes the decision tough is that while all five draft recap articles I read unanimously agreed with what I just wrote, every single one listed a different player Atlanta should’ve drafted. So even had Atlanta drafted someone else, the same articles still would’ve been written, just with a different name.
The same issue rears its head in subsequent rounds, albeit on a much lesser scale. Point being, no matter who Atlanta picked, people were going to have issues, and it’s not entirely their fault.
Atlanta will need to hand out “Hello, my name is…” stickers at their first defensive meeting. Most of the Falcon’s biggest needs entering this season are on the defensive side of the ball and their draft reflected that. (When your lone offensive pick is a lineman that probably won’t play much for another year or two, you must feel ok with the side of the ball.)
Regardless of how people feel about those picks, the team will need some of them to contribute quickly, especially Terrell and 2nd round pick Marlon Davidson. I mean, that is why those guys were drafted where they were, right?
Is Atlanta fielding a second, secret team full of undrafted free agents? I realize the number of undrafted players a team signs after the draft has finished varies, but Atlanta almost signed enough to field an entire team before Tae Crowder could be crowned Mr. Irrelevant.
I know they’re making up for only having six draft picks, but it’s almost as if the Falcons front office wasn’t even wild about their draft.
Matt Ryan’s arm just may fall off after attempting his 10,000th pass of the year. Seriously, you’re good entering the season with one viable running back whose knee is one wrong cut away from ending his career? Good luck with that.
Obviously, I have no idea how these picks will pan out, and neither does anyone else. I just hope we all get a chance this fall to see for ourselves. I feel like that’s something we can all agree on.
Power Off
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With just over four months remaining until the scheduled start of the college football season, there is still no answer to when teams will come out of their suspended status in order to prepare.
There have been myriad discussions about what this means for the 2020 campaign. Everything has been discussed, from when to resume team activities, to how long of a period is needed from first practice to first game, to how abbreviated schedule would work, to whether or not any fans will be permitted to watch the game in person.
In short, there are still many balls in the air.
Regardless of when the games start or how they will look, there is one variable that is sure to be the main factor in the final decision – money.
That’s not some new or surprising reveal as far as motives go, but there is no doubt that money – to be made or to be made up – will determine how college football is next played.
And that factor could be the final straw in an FBS landscape that is already seriously divided between the ‘Power 5’ conferences and the ‘Group of 5.’
Power 5 teams tend to have tighter conference groupings and host more home games, which all cut down on travel expenses. They also have huge network television contracts that they will be incentivized to honor by playing games, even if an altered or limited schedule lessens the payout.
On the other hand, there is the G5. Football teams in the other half of the FBS have larger geographic footprints and travel schedules that are often exacerbated by random long trips to “payout” games at P5 opponents that will never be returned.
And while these schools and conferences also receive money in the form of media rights agreements, it’s safe to say that a check from ESPN+ isn’t keeping the lights on conference-wide in quite the same way as deals with national networks and huge corporations that sponsor P5 marquee matchups and conference championship games.
For years, it has been rumored that the highest level of college football could fracture as it has before. There is a lot of fan support and corporate money that would love to see more heavyweight regular season matchups and a prolonged national championship playoff without giving a second thought to those things coming at the expense of the G5 conferences that have much less money and national appeal.
There are currently arguments that say attended football games simply won’t happen this fall due to ongoing pandemic concerns. If that happens, the biggest and wealthiest schools could probably find a workaround.
It wouldn’t be fun or pretty, but there will be SEC and ACC and national championship playoffs played if games are allowed to continue. If G5 schools follow this schedule, the financial blow will be inconceivable.
Wherever P5 universities with budgets for over-the-top amenities, constant facility upgrades and a private-jet-based recruiting strategy have to skimp through some lean times, G5 schools will already be tapped out as soon as football programs lose any sort of revenue.
One G5 school (Cincinnati) has already cut loose its men’s soccer team. Others are putting coaching staffs on furlough. It’s not just possible, but probable, that these measures will only get more drastic and more prevalent if sports remain shut down.
As advertising and fundraising trends go, it’s pretty safe to assume that when games and attendance resume, it will be the P5 schools who benefit first, even though G5 schools will need the return to normalcy more.
There is also the growing pressure for student athletes to be paid in some form – a totally new cost that would demand an overhaul of every athletic department’s finances.
Unless things change course in a hurry, the already abundant theories of what will happen to Division I sports needs to have another theory thrown onto the pile.
When all of this is done, there could be a complete split. Some big-name and high-dollar schools could easily survive and split off to form some new quasi-professional level of competition.
Less fortunate institutions will be left scrambling just to keep their athletic departments intact or petition the NCAA for rule changes as any significant decrease in football revenue will put in jeopardy the ability for many schools to fund the requisite 16 varsity sports in the coming years.
There are no easy answers for the upcoming economic impact that is coming. There isn’t an FBS school out there that doesn’t need every cent generated by its football program to set budgets for the rest of its teams.
And there isn’t a school out there that isn’t going to see a decrease in that revenue, regardless of what games do or don’t get played.
It will be weeks before any schedules are set and months – or years – before the true impact on the collegiate sporting world is known, but one certainty is that we’re about to be in a whole new ballgame.
Making The Grades
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The first sign of normalcy returning happened with the first round of the NFL Draft.
Let’s take a look at teams in our geographical area and assign a first-round grade.
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons selected cornerback AJ Terrell from Clemson with the 16th pick.
Atlanta had their sights set on CJ Henderson from Florida, but Jacksonville took Henderson with the 9th pick.
Apparently, Thomas Dimitroff missed the National Championship game where Terrell got scorched for over 200 yards by Joe Burrow and LSU.
Yes, we know CB is a big need for Atlanta, but Terrell that early in the first round? I don’t like the selection when Kenneth Murray LB from Oklahoma was still on the board. Terrell needs technique work, and there was more value on the board when the Falcons made the pick.
Grade: D
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags had two first round selections.
With the 9th pick the Jaguars took CJ Henderson cornerback from Florida. Henderson was regarded by most as the second-best corner in the draft behind Jeff Okudah, who was selected by the Lions at pick number 3.
Henderson is a good cover corner and has great ball skills. The issue with Henderson is he runs away from contact at times and that worried scouts.
I think this is a reach at #9 for Jacksonville who passed on Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and CeeDee Lamb in typical Jaguar fashion.
Grade: C
At pick 20 the Jaguars selected K’Lavion Chaisson OLB of LSU.
I think this is a great pick for Jacksonville to add another edge rusher to team up with Josh Allen on the Jacksonville defense. The pass rush is back in Jacksonville.
Chaisson is a match up problem who can rush the passer, drop in coverage, and play solid in the run game. Great pick by the Jags to get a three-down player at LB.
Grade: A
Miami Dolphins: With the 5th pick the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa QB from Alabama.
Tua is the man immediately in South Beach. If he can stay healthy, he can be a force in the NFL.
Tua is an accurate passer with a nice touch on the football. Many compare him to Steve Young and if he lives up to that hype then Miami will get back into playoff discussions soon.
Miami has had 21 starting quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. Ouch!
Grade: A
With pick 18 the Dolphins selected Austin Jackson OT from USC. Jackson is only 20 years old but has very good feet. He may not be ready in 2020 to contribute but has a pretty good upside. The jury is out on this selection.
Grade: C-
With the 30th pick the Dolphins selected CB Noah Igbinohene from Auburn. Another SEC selection in the first round. I like this pick for Miami in a position of need. Tough and physical kid.
Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs gave up a 4th round pick to San Francisco to move up one spot to take OT Tristin Wirfs from Iowa.
Iowa may be Offensive Line U right now in college football. Many thought Wirfs was the best offensive lineman available in this draft.
He ran a 4.85 40-yard dash at the combine, and had 36.5 inch vertical jump. This kid is athletic and a valuable asset to protect Tom Brady. I love this pick, and Tampa got a kid that had a top five grade entering the draft.
Grade: A+
It is a relief to watch something live on TV that is sports related.
Beasts From The East
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC East should be a very interesting division in college football. Here is how I think the division stacks up.
Florida: I give the Gators a slight edge over Georgia.
Under Dan Mullen’s watch, Florida has won 21 games and finished in the top 10 in back-to-back years.
The offense needs to take the next step and improve. The offensive line returns four starters so they should get better. Kyle Trask will be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.
Tight end Kyle Pitts (54 catches) along with receivers Jacob Copeland, Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney make up a strong receiving corp.
The defense should still be strong this season, adding UGA transfer Brenton Cox to strengthen the pass rush. The secondary will be one of the best in the SEC thanks to Marco Wilson and Kaiir Elam.
I think the deciding factor will be crossover scheduling. LSU comes to Gainesville and Georgia plays at Alabama.
Georgia: The Bulldogs lose quarterback Jake Fromm, running back D’Andre Swift and four offensive line starters.
Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman will be the new QB. Last season Newman threw for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 574 yards and 6 TD’s.
WR George Pickens had a good freshman season and he could have a breakout sophomore year.
In 2019 the defense ranked at the top of the SEC in yards per play allowed (4.3) and fewest points a game (12.6). They lost safety J.R. Reed and DL Tyler Clark but return most of the unit intact.
Tennessee: The Volunteers are going into coach Jeremy Pruitt’s third year on the right track.
They started 2019 0-2 but rebounded and won their final six games.
Quarterback play is a huge question mark and they need a drastic improvement. Whether it’s Jarrett Guarantano, Brian Maurer, J.T. Shrout or freshman Harrison Bailey, this position will determine the success of the team.
The offensive line and running backs should be the strength of the offense.
The defense improved, holding teams to 5.01 yards per game. I think the Vols are due for a big upset in 2020. I doubt it comes against Alabama or at UGA. Most likely it will be at Oklahoma or home against Florida.
Kentucky: The Wildcats won 26 games through the first five seasons under Mark Stoops, Kentucky has posted 18 over the last two years. Finishing 8-5 in 2019 was an accomplishment for Stoops and his staff.
Starting QB Terry Wilson was lost for the season due to injury in early September but he is returning. The O-line is one of the best in the conference and they return three backs that have at least 500 rushing yards in 2019.
Kentucky’s defense finished fourth in the SEC in fewest points allowed per game (19.3) and allowed 5.3 yards a snap.
South Carolina: The pressure is mounting for Will Muschamp after finishing 4-8. He hired former Colorado State coach Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator.
They have a few options at QB with transfer Collin Hill (Colorado State), Dakereon Joyner, Ryan Hilinski and freshman Luke Doty battling for the starting job. They lost their top three running backs.
Missouri: The Tigers were 8-5 in 2018 and 6-6 in 2019.
Eli Drinkwitz is in his first year in Columbia. He is coming off of only one year as a head coach at Appalachian State.
They will not be able to make a bowl this season.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores finished 3-9 last season. On the bright side these guys are intelligent since they attend Vandy.
That’s the only thing they have to look forward to.
Pay Me
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At a time when we seem to rank everything from best to worst, we’ve forgotten about value.
You know, like the $5.95 lunch menu at your local Chinese restaurant, where the food isn’t the best, but you always leave full.
In that spirit, instead of ranking the SEC coaches, below is whether or not I think they’re worth the money they’re making; within the context that all coaches are overpaid, of course.
Nick Saban, Alabama: $9.1 million- Yes. The better question is what number would Saban’s salary have to reach before the answer is “no”?
Ed Orgeron, LSU: $8.7 million- No. I realize it’s a little strange to knock a coach coming off a national championship, but compare what Orgeron has accomplished in his career to Saban, and then convince me it justifies him making only $400k less than the Alabama coach.
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $7.5 million- No. They had to pay it to pry Fisher away from FSU, I just don’t think he’s worth it.
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $6.9 million- No. Never. Nope. Not in this lifetime.
Kirby Smart, Georgia: $6.8 million/Dan Mullen, Florida: $6.1 million- Yes. Once Saban retires, one of these two will be considered the best coach in the SEC.
Mike Leach, Mississippi State: $5 million- Yes. Even though I view Leach as the John Calipari of college football, minus the smarts, he tends to win wherever he goes. At the very least, he’ll make Mississippi State fun to watch.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $5 million- I guess. He’s gotten about as much out of the Kentucky program as one can ask for, which should validate his salary.
Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri: $4 million (taking 10% reduction this year due to Covid-19)- No. I’ve always understood the hire, but not the money. Drinkwitz’s lone season at Appalachian State was extremely successful, but was that because of him or the fact the roster was pretty loaded to begin with?
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $3.9 million – Yes. Out of all the contracts, Ole Miss may just be getting the most bang for their buck. Sure, there are a lot to question about Kiffin, and his last name opened doors for him early on in his career that hadn’t been earned, but I’ve thought he was a pretty decent coach. I suspect that number will be higher in 2-3 years, it may just not be with Ole Miss.
Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee: $3.8 million- Eh, ok. Pruitt isn’t as good a coach as some of the ones listed above, his pay is commensurate with his coaching ability. Honestly, the whole situation says more about the state of Tennessee football than anything.
Will Muschamp, South Carolina: $3.3 million- Yes. Perfect example of getting what you pay for; near the bottom in salary, near the bottom in on the field play.
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: $3.3 million- Yes. At any other school Mason would’ve already been let go, but everyone seems happy with whatever arrangement they’ve got going on in Nashville. Who am I to argue?
Sam Pittman, Arkansas: $3 million- Sure, why not. I feel like if I’m going to complain about Drinkwitz, who at least has some head coaching success, making $4 million, I should do the same for Pittman, who has no major college head coaching experience. However, you won’t get a SEC coach for less money than that, so you might as well spend it on someone with a good reputation.
Wide Open Choice
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars want to give Gardner Minshew every opportunity they can to be that franchise QB they have not had since Mark Brunell.
Yes, it has been that long Jaguar fans since Jacksonville has had a true franchise quarterback.
Dave Caldwell traded Nick Foles to Chicago and it appears the Jags are ready to roll with Minshew for the foreseeable future.
Minshew started 12 games for Jacksonville in 2019 and did a pretty good job. He passed for 3200 yards with 21 TD’s to only 6 interceptions.
Jacksonville went 6-6 with Minshew as the starter. Now with Minshew penciled as the starter it is Jacksonville’s responsibility to get him some weapons at wide receiver to be successful.
Many mock drafts have Jacksonville projected to go defense with their first selection in the first-round pick #9, but they also have pick #20 in the first round so many scenarios could unfold for the Jags.
Jerry Jeudy is regarded as the top wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. He should still be on the board with the #9 pick if a team like the Raiders doesn’t trade up to select him from the #12 spot.
Jeudy burst on the scene at Alabama in 2018. He caught six touchdown passes in Alabama’s first three games of the 2018 season, including a 136-yard, two-touchdown performance against Ole Miss.
He had 135 yards and 2 touchdowns against Arkansas, and the next week set a career high with 147 yards and a touchdown against Missouri.
He had 139 yards and a touchdown in Alabama’s loss to Clemson in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Jeudy was named a consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC. He was awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver. His 14 receiving touchdowns led the conference and was tied for third nationally, and his 1,315 receiving yards were second in the conference.
Jeudy picked up where he left off in 2019. He was the Crimson Tide’s leading receiver in each of their first two games, finishing with 137 yards and a touchdown in the season opener against Duke, and 103 yards and 3 touchdowns against New Mexico State the following week.
He finished the regular season with 959 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns and was again named first-team All-SEC. He saved his best game for last, with six receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown in the Crimson Tide’s win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
In early January Jeudy declared for the NFL Draft.
He finished his Alabama career with 159 receptions for 26 TD’s with a 17.2 yard per catch average. He is listed at 6’1 and 193 lbs. and ran 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Jeudy can blow the top off of a defense. Jacksonville had good production with DJ Chark and company in 2019, but the WR room in Jacksonville is one of the least intimidating in the league at the moment. Jeudy could change all of that.
Jacksonville could still address defense at the #20 pick in the first round, and get a great player like Javon Kinlaw maybe to help shore up the defensive line, but if they insist on going defense with the #9 selection they will miss out on the best receiver in the draft.
Come on Jaguars, excite the fan base by selecting Jerry Jeudy with pick #9 if he is still on the board. Give Gardner Minshew the tools he needs to be that franchise QB you have been hoping for since Mark Brunell.
Blaine Gabbert, Byron Leftwich, and Blake Bortles all first round QB selections by Jacksonville would have loved to see a Jerry Jeudy type talent in their receiver room during their stay in the River City.
It will all unfold on April 23rd. With the Covid-19 pandemic gripping our nation this could be the most watched NFL Draft in history.
The Right Thing
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA has long been a punching bag for fans and member institutions alike and, for the most part, deservedly so.
The Indianapolis-based institution has all-encompassing power over its members, but it is often accused of being too strict in hamstringing the rights of student athletes, while also catching flack for doing too little in the face of major violations at marquee institutions.
That said, the NCAA received nearly universal applause for its quick action in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The organization cancelled all spring sports championships – including the immensely profitable March Madness men’s basketball tournament – on March 12, weeks before many local and state governments took similarly drastic shutdown measures in the name of public health.
Cancelations were preventative in nature and aimed at decreasing the impact of the virus, but the NCAA also acted quickly in announcing that seniors participating in spring sports will be afforded an additional year of eligibility should they choose to return to school and compete again next year.
That was undoubtedly the right call to make, but there is still a long way to go in achieving that goal.
The NCAA has cleared up the question of eligibility, but the national organization has no say in how each school finds the money to afford scholarships.
The NCAA has said that it will figure out an adjustment to the scholarship limits for spring sports, but it is up to each school to figure out a way to accommodate seniors wishing to return and play while also honoring scholarships that have already been awarded to incoming freshmen.
It will likely be months before the next year of collegiate athletics can set a firm schedule, but there’s no doubt that every school will face its own set of complications moving forward.
Things will eventually get back to normal, and that will be a great day. But normal is a relative term. For fans, it will be enough to have the opportunity to go see a game and cheer on their team.
For schools, there is the much more complicated matter of putting on those events, while financing an athletic department that could be at risk for shortened 2020-21 seasons and heavily decreased ticket sales due to ongoing public health fears and economic circumstances.
It’s still far too early to know how any schools will be able to deal with this unprecedented set of circumstances. There is no easy answer, but there is one thing that is perfectly clear and that might lead to a new way of doing sports, business and athletics at the collegiate level.
Players want to play and have earned the right through their work on both the athletic and academic side.
Academic institutions routinely rely on the millions upon millions of dollars raised on the backs of those athletes and their accomplishments in order to advance the school’s brand and build bigger and better opportunities for the athletes of tomorrow.
This pandemic has caused an impasse. Athletes most definitely deserve the right to return to get their part of the agreement they signed up for.
Athletic departments will likely have to take a hit in the wallet to make that happen.
Next spring will be all about making things right on a contractual level. Everything after could lead to bigger movements about what athletes bring to their respective schools and what more should be asked of those schools to make sure that both sides are getting as much as they give.
Hidden Gems
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2020 NFL Draft will be here soon.
Everyone is focusing on where each of the blue-chip players will go in the draft, but what about all those players that wind up going in the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh rounds that turn out to be diamonds in the rough?
Guys like Tom Brady Jared Allen (4th round), Brandon Marshall (4th round), Richard Sherman (5th round), Josh Norman (5th round), Antonio Brown (6th round) and many more.
The NFL Draft is an inexact science, which is a pro’s way of calling it an educated guessing game teams routinely experience success based on luck.
Here is a list of a few players that may emerge to become NFL stars.
DeeJay Dallas-Miami: Dallas is a 5’10”, weighs 217 and ran 4.58 forty at the combine. His career stats at Miami 265 carries for 1,557 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He caught 28 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns.
Dallas showcases explosiveness off his plant foot and moves downhill with a force. He runs with balance to bounce off tacklers and tends to fall forward. He is also a physical presence in pass protection.
Overall, I have Dallas with a 6th/7th round grade. His blocking skills, balance, and ball security makes him a perfect fit to an NFL roster.
Gabriel Davis-UCF: Davis is a 6’2”, weighs 216 and ran 4.54 forty at the combine. Davis was a three-year starter at UCF. His career stats 152 receptions, 2447 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Davis’s production steadily increased in every category each season. Davis is a natural hand catcher with the ability to win one-on-one matchups
Overall, I have Davis with a 4th round grade. He has a large catch radius and “my ball” mentality.
Solomon Kindley-Georgia: Kindley is 6’3”, weighs 337 and did not workout at the combine due to a foot injury.
Kindley was a three-year starter at Georgia at left guard. He did not live up to the hype coming into the 2019 season due to injuries. Kindley has a nasty, aggressive mindset to seek out and extend contact.
Overall, I have Kindley with a 6th/7th grade. Kindley is quick footed with mean man tendencies. He will need to be coached up on his technique.
Kindle Vidlor-Georgia Southern: Vidlor is 5’9”, weighs 191 and ran a 4.44 forty at the NFL combine. Vidlor’s career stats include 95 tackles, 1 sack, 33 pass breakups and 9 interceptions. He was a three-year starter.
Vidlor doesn’t have the ideal size to play outside in the NFL. He makes a perfect slot corner and special team with his burst and physical toughness. Vidlor plays fearlessly and has good ball instincts.
Overall, I have Vildor as a 7th round or priority free agent.
Rodrigo Blankenship-Georgia and Tyler Bass-Georgia Southern: These are the two top kickers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Overall, I have both with 6th/7th round grades. Well, that’s enough about kickers.
Teams find hidden gems in the draft. It doesn’t happen all the time, but every once in a while, a player will slip in the draft. Yet, he goes on to have an incredible NFL career. Who will be the next big-name draft steal like Tom Brady or Antonio Brown?
