Robert Craft
Wrong Turn
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Nitro Tuggle was arrested early on March 25 on two misdemeanor charges: reckless driving and speeding-maximum limits.
He was booked into Athens-Clarke County jail just before 2 a.m., with his bond set at $26.
Georgia announced that Tuggle has been suspended indefinitely. He will be a sophomore this season and has become one of many UGA football players to be arrested on driving-related charges.
Georgia also announced that Marques Easley, a second-year offensive lineman, is suspended indefinitely. Easley was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct after crashing in front of an apartment complex with no injuries.
The situation involving Georgia offensive lineman Marques Easley has taken another turn.
Easley was arrested in Oconee County on Friday and was charged with reckless conduct and reckless driving. According to jail records, the 19-year-old was booked at 4:35 p.m. on Friday and released at 5:04 p.m. on a $1,000 bond. The details regarding Easley’s class were made public on Friday.
According to the crash report from the incident, Easley’s 2021 Dodge Challenger was traveling west on Redwood Lane in Watkinsville in what the reporting officer described as “a reckless regard” on Monday.
Easley lost control of the vehicle, which began to rotate clockwise and run off the roadway before striking a power distribution box with its front. The vehicle then struck the passenger side of a second vehicle — a 2013 Hyundai Elantra — with its driver’s side.
Per the report, that impact caused the Elantra to strike a third vehicle — a 2018 Mercedes Benz CLA — with its driver side.
The Challenger’s impact with the Elantra caused the Challenger to hit the front of 1313 Redwood Lane with its front before it came to a final rest.
Per the report, Easley told the reporting officer he lost control of the car while “traveling between 25-30 MPH prior to the crash.” The crash report states that “the investigating troopers found this to be an inaccurate account of [what] happened due to the amount of damage from the crash and the fact that [Easley’s Challenger] had tire marks going back an estimated 200 feet.”
“The tire marks were consistent with a vehicle laying drag,” the report stated.
Easley was taken to Piedmont Athens Regional due to the accident, though the details of his injuries were not listed in the crash report.
A second Georgia player — cornerback Ondre Evans — was listed on the crash report among the six occupants involved. Evans was not taken to the hospital following the accident.
The crash report states that Easley was given three citations for the incident: one for reckless driving and two for reckless conduct causing harm to or endangering the bodily safety of another.
Easley’s arrest is the 10th known arrest of a Georgia football player for driving-related offenses since the big incident in January 2023: player Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in a high speed car accident.
LeCroy was found to be over the legal drinking limit and racing with Jalen Carter, who pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and therefore did not serve any jail time.
Coach Smart said last summer that the program was doing several things to limit, then eliminate these persistent driving issues with players.
Guest speakers have made several appearances to the team and Georgia’s collective is set to withhold payments to the players. Smart called the fines “substantial”.
Chomping The Hardcourt
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been seven years since Florida Basketball finished with fewer than 10 losses. It’s been 11 years since the Gators won the SEC championship, and it felt like the Gators’ days as an elite basketball program were a thing of the past.
Then, Todd Golden and his Gators thumped Tennessee, 86-77, for their first SEC Championship since 2013.
UF entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the first time since Billy Donovan. It will finish with no more than five losses for only the third time in the last 50 years.
Florida went 16-17 in Golden’s first season, their second losing season since the turn of the millennium. Still, confidence in Golden’s direction never wavered despite obvious lack of experience at 36 years old. Todd Golden was six years younger than the youngest SEC coach at the time.
At the same time, Golden had three years of head coaching experience at San Francisco and had led the Dons to a 57-36 overall record (.613) before arriving in Gainesville. Golden credits Florida’s quick turnaround to acquiring talent that fit a certain strand he was developing in the halls of the O’Connell Center.
The Gators are approaching a hot stretch. They beat five top-25 teams over their last six games. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored a minimum of18 points in five-straight outings, but Florida’s strengths go beyond the backcourt. This team possesses a deep and balanced roster that stands near the top of the national leaderboard in a number of statistical metrics.
Florida did not lose a non-conference game. All four of their losses were tournament-bound teams. Golden coaches a squad with a high floor and a high ceiling, which could be conducive to a deep run through the 68-team bracket.
Forwards Alex Condo. And Thomas Haugh are versatile bigs who score, rebound and pass at high levels. Center Rueben Chinyelu is part of a stout rim-protecting unit that teams struggle to score against. The Gators’ defense ranks No. 10 nationally (KenPom) in efficiency, and it surrenders 69 points per game — an impressive mark in an explosive SEC conference.
Golden has yet to advance beyond the first round of the NCAA Tournament in his three years. A deep run this postseason would be a breakthrough for the rising star on the sideline.
For the first time in more than a decade, the SEC will win the national championship on the hardwood. Florida is arguably college basketball’s hottest team and they’re coming off a tournament title in Nashville.
The Gators are playing well at the most crucial time. The Florida Gators have been one of the most consistent squads this season and their elite level of competition has paved a clear path to the Final Four. From there, it’s all about which team executes.
FSU Loucks
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After being formally introduced as Florida State’s men’s basketball head coach, Luke Loucks expressed pride and appreciation as he stood before a packed auditorium at Moore Athletic Center this Monday.
“It’s good to be home,” Loucks said at the start of his press conference.
Luke Loucks, a self-described storyteller, spoke about being a ‘part’ of Florida State. He and his wife, Stevi, were both student-athletes who met at FSU.
Loucks spoke about flying back into Tallahassee late Sunday night with their three young children. While Stevi was tearing up over returning ‘home’, her husband-FSU’s new head basketball coach- was welcoming his three children into the FSU lifestyle and continuing the legacy from a full time student to a full time employee.
This family remained attached to FSU before this career decision, they would return during NBA All-Star breaks and sometimes in the summer during Louck’s NBA coaching career. A permanent relocation marks a new chapter and endeavor for him and his family.
Loucks is excited to be coaching his alma mater at 34 years old, and understands this dream doesn’t happen to everyone. He does not take this opportunity for granted.
In reflecting on the hiring process and a series of interviews, or conversations, with Director of Athletics Michael Alford and FSU President Richard McCullough, he concluded each meeting with a career defining question – ‘Why?’ .
Why did Luke Loucks want to depart from a rising career as an NBA assistant to return to the college ranks and coach at Florida State?
“No. 1, there’s an emotional connection to Florida State,” Loucks said. “This place holds so many special memories for me.”
He is one of multiple members of his family with ties to FSU. He recalled as a little kid a family gathering for FSU football’s 1993 national championship victory. A core memory for any Nole fan at that age.
As a young man and a player at FSU, he spoke of meeting his wife ’40 feet’ to the right of the podium where addressed a gathering of media, administration, and others with ties to FSU.
He obviously had a great deal of success on the court along with his teammates.
He spoke of the school’s most recent football national championship and the pride it brought him after having played his career there (2008-12).
After a handful of years playing professionally, and it taking him around the world, he entered into coaching.
His laundry list of basketball coaching influences includes plenty from -Steve Kerr, Mike Brown and Leonard Hamilton to name a few. It’s clear many of the influences trace back to his time as a Seminole. As a young coach, he leaned on those who guided him in that same role during his time at FSU. He brought up folks behind the scenes tied to FSU hoops instrumental in his basketball coaching journey.
Present day as a young parent, he said that he and his wife have spoken to their children about ‘how cool it is to be a part of the Florida State community’. This is while putting them to bed wearing FSU pajamas.
For the entirety of his 34 years, FSU has played a role in Loucks life. It is part of every bit of his being and every chapter of his story.
That all being said, the other portion of his ‘Why’ is because at his core, he is someone who loves a challenge and believes he can succeed in things he is passionate about.
“I’m pretty competitive. I can’t turn it off. I want to win. I want to win everywhere I go,” Loucks said, adding that the personality trait goes well beyond the basketball court.
“So career-wise I want to be around the best. The reality is Florida State in the athletic community is one of the best brands in the world. Again, I’ve seen what it feels like to win at Florida State and I want to be a part of that. I want to lead.”
The 34-year old first-time collegiate head coach didn’t shy away from the idea of success. As the press conference winded down after more than 50 minutes at the podium for Loucks, he was asked about his playing days and those FSU teams he was a part of exceeding expectations – blowing out North Carolina, winning at Duke, earning an ACC Championship, NCAA Tournament bids, etc. He is familiar with his new territory. He knows the gold standards in the ACC on the hardwood.
He knows the tough task of turning FSU into more than expected in basketball. He isn’t shying away from it, because he simply can’t. He isn’t wired that way. That isn’t who he is or what he is.
Luke Louchs is a Basketball junky. Let’s see how he fills the shoes that Coach Hamilton left him.
Charlie Hustle
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is reviewing a request for Pete Rose to be removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list, which could lead to his eventual selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
President Donald Trump posted on social media that he planned to posthumously pardon Rose and advocated for MLB to rescind Rose’s lifetime ban, which was issued in 1989 after he was found to be betting on baseball. Rose died on Sept. 30, 2024, at age 83.
Any presidential pardon would be entirely unrelated to MLB’s disciplinary process, which is what has kept Rose out of the Hall of Fame. Trump didn’t specify what he would pardon.
Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for submitting falsified tax returns in 1990.
An investigation into Rose showed that he bet on baseball both as a player and a manager while with the Cincinnati Reds.
Rose served as the Reds’ player-manager from August 1984 until 1986. He continued to manage the Reds after he stopped playing.
Rose denied gambling on baseball at the time. He later claimed he had an understanding that he could apply for reinstatement a year after agreeing to the punishment.
Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti, died eight days after Rose’s banishment. His successor, Fay Vincent, never heard Rose’s appeal.
After denying illegal bets on baseball for nearly 15 years, Rose admitted it in his 2004 book, “My Prison Without Bars.” Later, he signed and sold baseballs with the inscription, “Sorry I bet on baseball.”
So how do we get Pete in the Hall?
The first step would be removal from the MLB’s permanently ineligible list.
Rose voluntarily agreed to his punishment in 1989 after an investigation determined he violated baseball’s rules against gambling on the sport.
If Rose is deemed eligible, he would not be on the ballot sent to the Hall of Fame voters from the BBWAA every November.
Instead, he would be subject to the voting process of the Era Committee, formerly and more colloquially known as the Veterans Committee. If and after that, then he would be on the ballot.
Here are cheatin’ Pete Rose’s greatest contributions to the game — the NL Rookie of the Year in 1963, the NL Most Valuable Player in 1973, three batting titles, two World Series titles and two more NL pennants, the bulk of his 4,256 hits — came before 1980. Rose won another World Series with the Phillies in 1980, appeared in the World Series with Philadelphia in 1983 and broke Ty Cobb’s all-time hit record in 1985.
The Classic Baseball Era committee meets every three years and will hold its next vote in December 2027, meaning Rose’s next opportunity at induction will likely come in July of 2028.
For Rose’s family’s appeal to be successful, Manfred will have to rescind previous statements that permanent banishment is the appropriate punishment for players, managers, and MLB staff for gambling on baseball.
Rose sent a letter to Manfred in 2022 asking for forgiveness.
It’s finally time for Manfred, the 55+ baseball writers, and fans to forgive Pete.
Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose has claimed to have paid his debt to baseball and his family wants the proper closure and the financial gain of having a hall of fame family member.
Pete to the Hall!
New Lead Jag
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jacksonville Jaguars recently hired Los Angeles Rams director of scouting James Gladstone as their next general manager.
Gladstone, 34, becomes the NFL’s youngest GM, and joins the Jaguars after nine seasons with the Rams.
First hired as a senior assistant in 2016, Gladstone became their player personnel coordinator, director of scouting strategy, and director of special projects before becoming director of scouting in 2021.
“It’s my honor to introduce James Gladstone as the new general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Claims Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Gladstone’s job offer is about one month after the Jag’s fired Trent Baalke after four unsuccessful seasons.
Jacksonville also enters the 2025 season with new head coach Liam Coen, and a new executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli (a franchise great) joining the front office earlier this month.
The Jaguars ended the 2024 season at 4-13 and third in the AFC South. Jacksonville has the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In 2019, the Rams began a quiet overhaul of many of their draft and scouting processes under Les Snead and then-executive Brad Holmes.
When Holmes got the Detroit Lions job in 2021, Gladstone ascended to his top role within the department and was generally thought of as Snead’s right hand in Los Angeles.
Gladstone took on the overhaul, and he led the Rams into advanced processes by collaborating with Snead, Sean McVay, and other analysts to blend McVay’s on-field vision with the identification of middle- and late-round draft picks. At that time the Rams were dependent on these mid-to-late bloomers because they did not have first-round picks.
Gladstone ran the Rams’ scouting and draft meetings year-round but also put a scout’s eye on prospects himself and evaluated each class alongside the remote senior scouts.
Gladstone, Jake Temme and Nicole Blake evolved the Rams’ internal scouting system, called JAARS, into a blend of analytics modeling, scouting intel, reporting, filings, medical and psychological profiles (for current and prospective players), and coaching analysis and intel to connect every piece of the Rams’ building together.
After the picks-for-players model and subsequent Super Bowl-winning season in 2021, the Rams imploded from an organization standpoint in 2022. They opted to take on a record amount of dead money while shedding veteran players and high dollar contracts.
With Gladstone as scouting director, they drafted 14 rookies and brought in 26 undrafted free agents, and five of them became starters (including star receiver Puka Nacua, and Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists Kobie Turner and Byron Young).
In 2024, the first season since 2016 that the Rams had a first-round pick, the 10-member class also featured five starters including Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and finalist Braden Fiske.
The Jags start the season with a new coach, a new GM, and a new vice president of football operations.
Let’s hope this overhaul in the front office will create wins on the field.
Pay Day
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ryan Day at Ohio State and Bill Belichick at North Carolina shook up the rankings of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Day’s raise and extension came on the heels of Ohio State’s first national championship in a decade.
UNC pays Belichick double what Mack Brown made last year, putting him among the likes of Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian in annual salary.
Eight head coaches earn $10 million or more in annual salary, compared to a decade ago when Alabama’s Nick Saban led the nation with $7.1 million in 2014.
The SEC leads all conferences with five coaches in the top 10, while UNC’s push for big-time football with Belichick added a third ACC coach to the list, helping the conference pass the Big Ten for second place. No Big 12 coaches made the top 10.
Big paychecks don’t always equal success. Three of the ten highest-paid head coaches led their teams to .500 or worse in the 2024 regular season, and many fell short of program expectations.
- MARK STOOPS, KENTUCKY
Total Pay: $9,013,600
Record at Program: 77-73 (12 years)
Stoops, one of the SEC’s longest-tenured coaches, signed an extension in November 2022 that was record-setting for the University of Kentucky football and is set to pay him handsomely through the 2031 season.
He led the Wildcats to two of their 10-win seasons in program history but hasn’t hit double-digit win totals since 2021 and suffered his worst finish since 2013 this fall, stumbling to a 4-8 overall record and 1-7 mark in SEC play.
- BRIAN KELLY, LSU
Total Pay: $9,975,000
Record at Program: 29-11 (Three years)
LSU lured Kelly away from Notre Dame in 2021 with a lucrative offer soaring past $100 million over the life of the contract.
He led the Tigers to a pair of 10-win seasons to start his career in Baton Rouge but faces questions in 2024 after suffering his worst record in three seasons at 9-4.
He also lost top-ranked 2024 prospect Bryce Underwood in a flip to Michigan during the early signing period.
T-6. KALEN DEBOER, ALABAMA
Total Pay: $10,000,000
Record at Program: 9-4 (One year)
DeBoer signed an eight-year contract with Alabama. It runs through Dec. 31, 2031, with a starting annual salary of $10 million in the first year and yearly increases up to $11.75 million in the final year.
It more than doubled his reported salary at Washington last season ($4.3 million).
Alabama suffered its first three-loss regular season since 2010 in DeBoer’s first year at the helm and missed the College Football Playoff.
T-6. MIKE NORVELL, FLORIDA STATE
Total Pay: $10,000,000
Record at Program: 33-27 (Five years)
Norvell cashed in on his unbeaten season in 2023 with an eight-year deal worth more than $10 million per season in January, when he became one of the rumored candidates for the Alabama vacancy.
Florida State didn’t get its money’s worth in 2024. The Seminoles had their worst regular season since 1974, finishing 2-10.
Outside of Florida State’s 13-1 campaign in 2023, the Seminoles are 20-26 under Norvell with just one bowl appearance.
T-6. BILL BELICHICK, NORTH CAROLINA
Total Pay: $10,000,000
Record at Program: N/A
Inside Carolina reported that Bill Belichick agreed to a five-year contract that will pay him $10 million annually, with three years and $30 million guaranteed.
It’s double the $5 million annual salary his predecessor Mack Brown made in annual salary.
The Tar Heel brass agreed to increase the staffing budget, supply Belichick with a full general manager staff and make a significant investment in its NIL budget.
He’s one of the top three highest-paid coaches in the ACC without coaching a single down of college ball.
UNC’s early returns have been good. Belichick has helped UNC in both the transfer portal and high school recruiting class for 2025, up to 43rd from 78th when Mack Brown left.
- LINCOLN RILEY, USC
Total Pay: $10,043,418
Record at Program: 26-14 (Three years)
USC paid 4.5 million to Oklahoma for Riley’s buyout, then proceeded to give him the largest contract in coaching at the time (2022).
He finished one win from the College Football Playoff in his first season with the Trojans, making the program’s instant return on investment substantial.
However, he’s 15-13 in his last 27 games after finishing the 2024 season at 7-6.
- STEVE SARKISIAN, TEXAS
Total Pay: $10,600,000
Record at Program: 38-17 (Four years)
Fresh off leading Texas to its first College Football Playoff berth in 2023, the Longhorns awarded Sarkisian with a four-year extension that saw his salary jump from $5.8 million to $10+ million.
Sarkisian can earn an extra $1.85 million annually in performance incentives, including $1.25 million for winning the national championship.
Sarkisian also gets two dealer cars and the use of a private jet, among other perks. He’s been worth every penny for Texas, leading the program to a seamless transition to the SEC and a College Football Playoff berth for the second season in a row.
- DABO SWINNEY, CLEMSON
Total Pay: $11,132,775
Record at Program: 180-47 (17 years)
Swinney agreed to a 10-year contract extension in September 2022 that keeps him at Clemson through the 2031 season.
He posted 12 double-digit win seasons during his tenure at Clemson and has won two national championships in four trips to the College Football Playoff.
However, the on-field play fell short of expectations in recent years. Clemson suffered three-loss seasons in 2021 and 2022 and a 9-4 campaign in 2023.
The Tigers did manage to secure their first College Football Playoff berth since 2020 with a win over SMU in this year’s ACC Championship Game.
- RYAN DAY, OHIO STATE
Total Pay: $12,500,000
Record at Program: 70-10 (Seven years)
Ohio State inked Day to a new contract on Feb. 6, just two weeks after he led the Buckeyes to their first national championship since 2014.
The deal is valued at $12.5 million in total annual compensation, with a base salary of $2 million per year and keeps Day in Columbus through the 2021 season.
Day ranked inside the top five in annual salary before the extension but is now one of three active coaches with a national championship on his résumé and it’s reflecting on the paycheck.
- KIRBY SMART, GEORGIA
Total Pay: $13,282,580
Record at Program: 105-19 (Nine years)
Smart passed Swinney as the highest-paid head coach in college football after signing a two-year extension in May.
Smart’s new deal runs through December 2033 and bumped his annual salary to $13 million per year, an increase of $1.75 million, with bonuses up to $1.55 million.
His 2024 salary marks the highest single-season payday for a public university head coach, beating Nick Saban’s $11.1 million figure in 2023 and 2017.
Smart’s record speaks for itself. He’s the best coach in college football today and his Dawgs won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
The New Chief?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State men’s basketball head coach Leonard Hamilton made the announcement earlier in the month that his long career at FSU will officially conclude with the end of the 2024-25 season.
FSU is now in search of the program’s eighth head basketball coach after the head of their dynasty resigns.
While I don’t consider the below a hot board, I do believe several of these names mentioned could be near the top of the list as the hiring process begins:
The first name played for Hamilton and helped the program win an ACC Championship in 2012, former guard Luke Loucks.
Loucks is currently an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. Loucks has worked in the NBA for several years also having stints with the Suns and Warriors doing a variety of jobs as he has worked his way up the ranks. He was a part of multiple NBA Championship squads as a coach with the Warriors.
He has worked on the international basketball scene as well, most recently with Nigeria.
He played internationally in Germany, Belgium, Cypress, and Latvia, as well as spending some time in the NBA Developmental League.
He is a Florida native and has a good understanding of the current environment surrounding the program.
The second name is a former Seminole and member of the FSU Hall of Fame, Sam Cassell. Cassell was drafted 24th overall in the 1993 NBA Draft out of FSU. He played for eight different teams during his 15-year career. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and All-NBA Team once, both in the 2003–04 season.
The former NBA point guard, who is originally from Baltimore, is currently an assistant coach for the Celtics. He has also had extended coaching stints with the Wizards Clippers and 76ers.
Cassell has won NBA Championships as a player, multiple times, and as an assistant coach.
Both former players have been around FSU in recent years and have connected with current Athletics.
Third on my list, a huge piece of FSU’s best years under Hamilton, former assistant coach Dennis Gates.
While Alan Huss is only in his second season as the head coach of High Point, he could be a very intriguing option. He led the Panthers to a regular season conference title and the championship game of the CBI during his first year.
In year two, he’s got his team in second place in the Big South. While he can improve as a coach on the defensive end, Huss’ squad currently ranks No. 27 in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom after rating among the top 40 last season.
No, he’s not recruited to the ACC before, but Huss was known as an ace recruiter during his time as an assistant at Creighton. Additionally, he knows the landscape of the loaded prep academies as well as any coach out there after helping to build La Lumiere (Ind.) into a national power.
There are definitely more candidates than I’ve listed above. Hamilton constructed five straight, NCAA Tournament teams from 2016-21.
In my opinion, he is the best basketball coach in FSU history, leaving big shoes to fill for his successor.
Gentleman, Start Your Engines
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of a long successful season for NFL teams.
In NASCAR, they have the Daytona 500. It’s the first race of the season and also the most prestigious event on the circuit.
The stars of the Cup Series are all set to be in Daytona on February 16 to run in the crown jewel of stock car to open the regular season, including defending Cup champion Joey Logano.
Several stars will be running to earn their first Daytona 500 victory, including Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports, will attempt to make its’ Cup Series debut in next month’s season-opening Daytona 500, the team announced Wednesday.
JRM is partnering with country singer and songwriter Chris Stapleton to enter a car for driver Justin Allgaier, with Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey brand sponsoring the effort.
Earnhardt, a two-time Daytona 500 winner (2004, 2014), has publicly spoken many times about how he’d like to see JRM expand into Cup on a full-time basis, though he’s emphasized that any move would have to make financial sense for the company.
Thus far, such a move has proven cost-prohibitive at a time when charters — the NASCAR equivalent of a franchise in other sports — are valued at $20 million plus.
Owning one of 36 charters guarantees a team certain revenue streams not otherwise available, making operating as a full-time “open” not cost-effective over the long term.
Helio Castroneves, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and one of the more popular drivers of his generation, will make his NASCAR debut in next month’s Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500, Trackhouse Racing announced Monday. Castroneves will drive a car fielded by Trackhouse Racing.
The majority of Castroneves’ 20-year plus career has been spent in IndyCar, winning 31 races and being runner-up to the championship four times. His most notable accomplishment is being part of an exclusive group who’ve won the Indianapolis 500 a record four times, with only A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as the other members.
Should Castroneves win the Daytona 500, he would join Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.
When two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso failed to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500, it sent a message to the world: This IndyCar stuff isn’t easy.
To just award a 41st starting spot in a field that has been capped at 40 cars for the last decade — just because the driver is famous to international fans — doesn’t align with the true spirit of competition.
Oh, and former NASCAR champions Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr.? They’ll show up at Daytona to qualify into the 500 with no guarantee they’ll make the field, just like any other driver.
Except the more famous ones, that is. Castroneves has no such concerns and going forward, any other celebrity who fits NASCAR’s definition won’t have to worry, either. This is as much of a marketing event as it is a sporting event, and big names draw big crowds.
Some of the other storylines in the field center around NASCAR’s biggest stars and all-time great drivers who have a stake in both the Daytona 500 and NASCAR history at hand.
Denny Hamlin is looking to become only the third driver in history to win this race more than three times, and a fourth victory would tie him for second all-time with Cale Yarborough.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who is becoming the first driver to ever make a Cup start after being named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He can also move out of a tie with Yarborough for sixth in NASCAR’s all-time wins list if he earns his third Daytona 500 win; the 84th of his Cup career overall.
Either accomplishment for Hamlin and Johnson would be a fitting tribute to Yarborough, one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers ever, who passed away this offseason at the age of 84.
Another driver with something at stake is Joey Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion and this year’s polesitter. Should Logano earn his second Daytona 500 win, he would become the first driver to win the 500 from the pole since Dale Jarrett in 2000.
Buckle up NASCAR fans, this Daytona 500 will be a new and exciting event to kick off the Cup Series.
Leaving The Tribe
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is resigning after the Seminoles’ season, ending one of the winningest tenures in ACC history.
Hamilton’s 434 wins over 22+ seasons are the most in program history and the fifth ever in ACC records.
The only four ahead of Hamilton: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Roy Williams and Maryland’s Gary Williams.
Hamilton, 76, took over the Seminoles in March 2002 after stints as the head coach at Miami, Oklahoma State and the Washington Wizards.
His Florida State career includes a dozen 20-win seasons, eight NCAA Tournament appearances and three ACC coach of the year awards.
He peaked late in his tenure. His 2018 team went to the Elite Eight. The next season, Hamilton led the Seminoles to a school-record 29 games and the Sweet 16 — only the second time ever that Florida State had back-to-back Tournament runs that deep.
Hamilton’s 2020 team was even better; they won the ACC’s regular season title and, at 26-5, was expected to be a national championship contender before March Madness was canceled due to COVID-19.
The program has slipped since 2020. The Seminoles are 56-62 since the start of the 2021-22 season.
On Saturday, Florida State blew an 8-point lead in the final minute to lose 77-76 at Boston College. It was the Eagles’ second conference victory and dropped Florida State to 13-9 overall (4-7 ACC).
University president Richard McCullough called Hamilton “one of the most respected and beloved ambassadors of FSU.”
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said, “Coach Hamilton’s personal character and integrity, and his leadership, set a tremendous standard for all of FSU Athletics Few people have been as important in building the positive reputation of Seminole Athletics. FSU’s stature as one of the leading brands in college sports has been possible, in part, to his leadership of our men’s basketball program. He steadily developed a culture of excellence that reflects his personal values: commitment to academic success, competitive success, community service, leadership, and ongoing personal excellence. The success of the men who have been part of our basketball program is proof of that legacy.”
In late December, six former players sued Hamilton in Leon County circuit court, saying he failed to fulfill $250,000 in promised name, image and likeness money per player. Hamilton has not yet filed a response in court.
With Hamilton’s pending resignation, the ACC’s old guard is officially gone.
Add Hamilton — the oldest active coach in men’s college basketball — to the storied list of coaches who have retired from the ACC since the end of the 2020-21 season: Roy Williams, Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Mike Brey, Tony Bennett, and Jim Larrañaga. That doesn’t even include Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, who was fired by Louisville a month before the start of the 2017-18 season.
Hamilton’s departure means that the longest-tenured coach in the league is now Clemson’s Brad Brownell, who is midway through his 15th season with the Tigers. Is Hamilton’s retirement the nail in the coffin for how College Basketball used to be? Is this the dawn of a new era?
While Hamilton never reached the Final Four in 37 seasons as a head coach, he did take the Seminoles to only their third Elite Eight in program history, while also establishing Tallahassee as a legitimate professional breeding ground.
From 2016 to 2021, Hamilton had six players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, including top-10 selections Jonathan Isaac (No. 6 in 2017), Patrick Williams (No. 4 in 2020), and Scottie Barnes (No. 4 in 2021).
This announcement leaves a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered soon.
New Direction
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Liam Coen was recently formally introduced as the Jacksonville Jaguars newest head.
During the press conference, he addressed the whirlwind of speculation from last week; he was set to return to Tampa Bay as the Buc’s offensive coordinator — with a substantial raise to keep him put.
The next day, Coen attended a clandestine meeting with the Jaguars that ultimately led to him accepting the team’s head coach position.
“The opportunity to coach in Tampa was a phenomenal one to get my feet wet in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and I thank them so much for that opportunity,” Coen said.
“As you continue to do more research and gain more information as you go, it started to become more clear with every hour that this was an opportunity that you just can’t pass up for so many different reasons. Ultimately, you want to do what is best for you and your family. That is what this came down to.I will always love and remember those guys in Tampa — my players, those guys, love them to death — but this is an opportunity to also go do it with new guys and go reach and touch people because that’s what coaching and teaching is and that’s what this opportunity is all about. Head and eyes up and moving forward.”
From when Coen was set to return to Tampa Bay to when he accepted the Jaguars job, one major change occurred in Jacksonville. Jacksonville fired their General Manager. Coen said the Jag’s decision had nothing to do with his decision.
“This was completely about an opportunity to work for an owner and a group of people with a group of players that needed some help,” Coen said. “That is what coaching is. Coaching is all about going to help people and be around people. That (the GM dismissal) was not a factor.”
Owner Shad Khan said Coen stood out from the opening round of interviews and finding a guide for quarterback Trevor Lawrence was paramount.
“This wasn’t a moment of regret for the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Khan said of the coaching search. “This was a moment of progress, optimism and confidence that we will achieve the ultimate goal as long as we have the right man. And that man was Liam Coen. Why? Liam’s outstanding body of work speaks for itself. Quarterback development is the bedrock of modern NFL and Liam has delivered that wherever he’s coached.”
In Jacksonville, Coen inherits a team coming off a 4-13 season and is two seasons removed from winning the AFC South and reaching the divisional round of the playoffs. That playoff victory came in Doug Pederson’s first of three seasons as coach before his firing.
Coen has a roster that features QB Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and defensive ends Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. The team also holds the Number 5 pick in this year’s Draft.
“This is not a four-win team,” Coen said. “Yes, that is the record (from last year) but this is not a four-win team. How do we go from winning games to not losing them? I think that is something we’ve got to address. That has to be in our veins, in our DNA and in our culture of winning. I’ve learned it from the Los Angeles Rams and a ton of other great organizations of how to go and win football games. That’s something we have to start as a team, as a group and show how we are going to do it.”
Coen confirmed Monday that he will call the plays as head coach.
Khan said that the next priority is to build out Coen’s staff, giving every indication that he is not in a rush to hire a new general manager. He did, however, ensure the team would have one announced by Feb. 28. Assistant general manager Ethan Waugh is serving as the team’s interim general manager.
Coen will have a strong voice in the hiring of the next general manager. His main task on the field is maximizing Lawrence’s skills.
By today’s standards, Lawrence is a below average QB. Coen’s success will depend on if he make Lawrence a high performer, or at least a solid QB.
