Robert Craft
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.
Bye Bye Beck
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Carson Beck committed to Miami on Friday. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound QB is headed to Coral Gables for his final year of eligibility.
Beck started 13 games for Georgia in 2024. He completed 290 passes on 448 attempts — a 64.7 completion percentage — for 3,485 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He threw for 7,912 yards with 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions during his time as a Bulldog.
Beck entered the 2024 season as a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, but his play early in the year did not meet the lofty goal. Beck threw 7 total touchdowns in Georgia’s first two games before throwing for a measly 160 yards and no touchdowns in a 13-12 thriller at Kentucky.
The situation got worse at Alabama, where Beck threw 3 interceptions and fumbled in a 41-34 loss for the Bulldogs.
Beck threw 2 touchdowns against Auburn before throwing 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against Mississippi State.
His turnover issues came into focus again on Oct. 19 against Texas, when he did not throw for a single touchdown and threw 3 picks in a 30-15 victory for the Bulldogs.
Beck explained prior to the SEC title game that the first Texas game was an eye opener in terms of what he should and should not do with the football.
“You go back and you watch that game, and there’s just some situations where maybe I was trying to force the ball when it didn’t need to and maybe trying to make plays when they weren’t there,” Beck said.
“I think that’s one thing that I’ve really improved on as we’ve gotten into this kind of later half of the season, is not trying to do too much and just playing within myself and playing within the offense. Knowing when to try to make a play and knowing when to just chalk it up and move on to the next one. There’s three downs to get a first down for a reason. You don’t have to try to get it all in one play, and I think I’ve done a better job at that in this second half of the season.”
Beck threw 3 interceptions two weeks later against Florida and from there his turnover issues subsided.
He threw 1 interception the following week at Ole Miss and zero in his final four games of the year, all of which were Georgia victories.
Beck’s season came to a close following a big hit during the SEC championship game back on Dec. 7.Beck was injured on the final play of the first half of the SEC title game against Texas.
Beck was hit by Trey Moore on a last-second Hail Mary attempt, which led to Beck falling awkwardly on his left arm. Beck stayed down on the turf momentarily and was tended to by UGA trainers before he stood up by himself and headed to the locker room.
He did not throw another pass after sustaining the injury in the conference title game, but he was not done for the day. He checked back in for what was ultimately the game’s final play after Gunner Stockton had to leave for one play due to his helmet coming off.
Beck underwent elbow surgery on Dec. 23, which means he will not resume throwing until the spring. He was present for Georgia’s 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
Beck initially declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 28. He changed his course of action on Jan. 9 and instead entered the transfer portal.
Beck joins a Hurricanes team hungry to make the College Football Playoff under alum Mari Cristobal. The Hurricanes went 10-2 in the 2024 regular season, which left them at No. 13 in the final CFP ranking.
Beck replaces Cam Ward, who, like Beck, had declared for the draft before deciding to enter the portal and land at Miami.
Ward is considered by many to be the eventual top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after throwing for 4,313 yards with 39 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
The rumor is Miami is forking out 4 million compared to his current deal with Georgia at 2.5 million.
Beck can now afford 2 Lamborghinis!
How To win In Today’s College Football
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It’s been two beautiful seasons for SEC haters tired of the league’s dominance.
An SEC team hoisted the national title trophy in 13 of 17 seasons between 2006-2022.
Five different programs accounted for those titles, spreading the wealth around the conference: cementing its status as king of the sport.
Last season, the SEC was forced to endure the indignity of watching a Big Ten team (Michigan) beat a soon-to-be Big Ten team (Washington) for the national title. It was only the second time since Texas-USC in 2005 that the SEC sat on the sidelines during the national championship.
Now, as the College Football Playoff semifinals are set to begin, the SEC might find the same seat on the sidelines.
Notre Dame and Penn State faced off Thursday in Miami. A day later, Texas and a red-hot Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
The Longhorns, the first-year wearers of the SEC patch, the team who’s not part of the decades-long legacy, are the SEC’s last hope.
The South’s place in the sport may have slipped the past two seasons, but the league’s firm foundation is suited to handle the sport’s shifting sands better than any other conference. It will be back.
College football — especially roster construction and management — is changing. Stockpiling the quality of depth of talent that helped fuel Georgia’s back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 and Nick Saban’s decade of dominance at Alabama has never been harder to attain.
In the transfer portal era and with the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL), some argue building programs of that caliber is impossible.
Here’s the SEC’s cringeworthy slogan — “It just means more” — which works for most recruits because it’s true.
Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame have the three biggest fan bases in the sport, but none have access to highly talented high schools that SEC programs have in their backyards.
Talent wins out, especially in recruiting. The transfer portal equalizes the importance between acquiring talented athletes and keeping them at the program all four years.
Consider Michigan’s path to last season’s national title: It had just two five-star prospects on its roster. Michigan joined Auburn (2010) and Clemson (2016 and 2018) as the fourth national champion that didn’t sign a top five recruiting class in the previous four years.
It had the nation’s 14th-most talented roster, according to 247Sports’ Talent Composite, which is weighted toward recruiting rankings.
What Michigan did have was NFL talent, proving that their ranking was far from gospel.
Michigan’s roster featured 13 picks in last year’s draft — nine of whom went in the first five rounds. The Wolverines have four more major contributors on last year’s team who are top 50 prospects in this year’s draft, according to draft experts.
Michigan’s title was a monument to Jim Harbaugh’s ability to scout and develop. He built a title-worthy roster in a manner seldom seen in modern college football.
Harbaugh was one of the best coaches in the sport, and this feat may never be duplicated. It’s certainly not a sustainable, long-term plan to churn out championships.
But consider this season’s Ohio State team, now the betting favorite to win the title in Atlanta later this month. The Buckeyes famously spent $20 million assembling this roster, and although acquisitions like running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss and safety Caleb Downs from Alabama made the biggest offseason headlines, the bulk of that money went to making sure players such as WR Emeka Egbuka, DE Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, DT Tyleik Williams and running back TreVeyon Henderson came back to chase a title rather than beginning their NFL careers.
Now, these investments are well-positioned to pay off after an unthinkable loss to Michigan in the regular-season finale.
That $20 million is believed to be at or near the top of the market for a roster in the sport this season, and generally, the biggest spenders in the NIL era have been the teams that haven’t won big in recent years before money became the currency of roster building in college football.
Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Ole Miss and Florida State were among the most aggressive programs in the earliest days of NIL.
The sport is changing. The blueprint for building perennial championship contenders is evolving by the year, adapters will rise.
Georgia, Alabama, Florida, LSU, and others in the SEC are always going to be committed to doing whatever it takes to build a champion — at any cost.
In the interim, that almost certainly means they will funnel more money to collectives and NIL. This will go on top of the upcoming money for revenue sharing, schools will start paying players as a result of the House v. NCAA settlement.
As the sport has changed, programs such as Ohio State and Oregon have done the best job adjusting to those changes, while programs like Alabama and Georgia have tried to adapt their old model for success into the new world of college football.
The safe bet is it won’t stay that way for long. Talent wins out.
New Tricks Needed?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The signs were always there. The Alabama game. The Ole Miss game. Even plenty of victories: Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and the SEC Championship Game.
It all left everyone, including those within the Georgia football program, questioning if this was a group that actually would keep the legacy going to another championship.
We got that answer in the College Football Playoff. It was definitive. Georgia was not the best team in the country this year and they deserved their fate.
Now it leads to the next mystery: Was this game, and rocky season a kick in the butt to the program? Was this season a message that Georgia’s not the elite it was two years ago?
Does leadership need to change goals and make moves to avoid slipping further?
Although Georgia was ultimately still the SEC champion, they lost in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals when they were down to their backup quarterback.
Kirby Smart said some curious things after the loss to Notre Dame. Let’s start with his post-mortem on the season, which he called “Easily the toughest of my tenure.” That may be a bit of recency bias.
The truth reared its ugly face at The Bulldogs, and it said: Get better as a football program. Let Kirby’s above words sit and remember people- it’s not a second-year coach trying to get his program to another level, but the ninth-year coach of a team that won two of the previous three national titles.
Maybe on some level Kirby Smart mirrors his mentor Nick Saban with the mentality of always trying to improve, even when on top. Or maybe this year’s team is a reflection that this program isn’t on top right now.
There’s no clear answer. You can argue that transfer rules and paying players have changed the game.
The Big Ten and Notre Dame having three of the four semifinalists feed into that argument. But the 2022 season wasn’t that long ago, right? It’s not like this was a crashing disappointment for the Dawgs: They’re 4-1 against teams that made the Playoffs, the only one they lost was in the Playoffs.
There was just something missing, and Smart’s job is to figure out what that was, and to what extent does this team need to change.
Now for some apparent good news: Gunner Stockton looks like a viable starter for 2025-26. His pocket presence needs to improve, but that should grow with experience.
The underrated gap between Carson Beck and Stockton, in a start of this magnitude, may have been game management and making checks at the line, which Stockton acknowledged.
But if it is Stockton, the coaches need to acquire help around them. QBs and Coaches need receivers who won’t drop the ball. Georgia was burned during this portal window by receivers unsure of the identity or throwing ability of Georgia’s quarterback next season.
Maybe Stockton’s play helps convince recruits and transfers.
Let’s be clear. There is risk in overstating what happened in this game. Georgia outgained the Irish and averaged more yards. They reached the red zone more often. It’s not like this was a domination. Georgia belonged on the same field, but Georgia should be the more mature program in the building; all evidence says they were.
Instead, Georgia committed the game’s only two turnovers, gave up a 98-yard kickoff return because of missed tackles, and coach Smart made risks that backfired.
Looking back, much of Georgia’s problem was being outplayed by Notre Dame, especially in the second half, when UGA approached the cusp of another epic comeback and failed: The defense made a big fourth-down stop, handing the offense the ball at midfield. A 10-point game, plenty of time left, momentum at Georgia’s back. But the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize, with go-nowhere plays on third-and-3 and fourth-and-2.
That was yet another mystery about this team. Stockton, whose arm was the question coming in, passed for 234 yards and looked pretty good for a new starter. Georgia just couldn’t run the ball, despite Notre Dame being without its best defensive player, lineman Rylie Mills. The Dawgs also did not protect well, yielding four sacks.
The offense will remain the focus. The defense can reload by retaining the talented youngsters who understudied this year. This Bulldog team will still be young, and this year’s inconsistent play showed that Georgia doesn’t have a birthright to elite defenses in today’s College Football Landscape.
Georgia isn’t automatically elite just because of rings in 2021 and 2022. They aren’t automatically elite as long as Smart is coach, he is starting to lose.
Although optimism still reigned in a losing locker room, do they deserve optimism with this result?
What did this loss mean for the program? Was it a hit to the ego?
Gunner?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
How well Gunner Stockton will perform is still unclear.
As the world finds out about him off the field, Stockton’s a Georgia folk hero, his bona fide attributes are being filled in: his small-town roots, how he got his name, the fact he drives a 1984 Ford pickup. Stockton keeps four or five cows back home in Rabun County, which has become a running joke with some of his Georgia teammates.
There is no known correlation between bovine ownership and quarterback ability, and in less than a week, Georgia faces off against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Here are a few football-centric takeaways from Saturday, the day before Georgia leaves for New Orleans. After offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and four of his players met with members of the media.
Georgia guard Tate Ratledge forgot something at the team facility one night this week, and when he went back to get it at 10 p.m., he saw Stockton still there, watching film.
That wasn’t that unusual, according to Delp, who said Stockton watched film for four to five hours after practices in the regular season, not knowing if he would even play as the No. 2 quarterback.
Bobo said he could tell Stockton “took to heart” that he needed to prepare each week like a starter. That helped him seamlessly replace Carson Beck in the second half of the SEC Championship Game by leading a touchdown drive right away.
Stockton possessed a game plan focused on Beck’s pocket-passing skills and integrated into UGA’s high-performing offense seamlessly.
The extra time to adjust and prepare should be a big help for the offense. Before Georgia knew they would play Notre Dame, Georgia’s “back to basics” approach during the first week of practice kept Stockton in more situational drills: two-minute, third-down and red zone.
It helped Stockton lead the offense, rather than serving as the understudy or scout-team veteran.
“Now I can tell he has full control of this huddle,” Ratledge said.
That said, the spark was already there when Stockton came in during the SEC Championship Game. The past few weeks of practice seemed to have cemented it.
“Just seeing the way he’s carried himself and done everything the right way in his prior years leading up to this moment, Gunner’s just a guy you want to block for,” Ratledge said.
“He’s just a great guy, plays with a lot of emotion, brings everybody with him, and now he has the whole team behind him, ready to roll.”
The offense hasn’t had a sterling year: Georgia ranks 30th in scoring and 42nd in yards per play. But four of its games have been against defenses ranked in the top 10 nationally, with two others in the top 20.
This is Bobo’s second year back as the coordinator. When he met the media this time in 2023, it was after a better statistical year, but the team didn’t have a chance at a championship. This time, Bobo still has a chance to set the narrative.
Georgia has two new tailback injuries: Roderick Robinson and Branson Robinson are both expected to miss the rest of the Playoff with unspecified injuries sustained during practice.
That ends injury-riddled seasons for both players and removes the team’s most physical runners.
It hasn’t been a great rushing season anyway, as Bobo acknowledged. Georgia is only 11th in the SEC in rushing yards per attempt and 15th in total rushing yards per game.
Georgia was in the top three the previous three seasons and was once known as Tailback U., including during Bobo’s first stint as offensive coordinator.
The offensive line is pretty much in full health now. Etienne is, too, and with Nate Frazier, Georgia has two dynamic options out of the backfield, while Cash Jones is a veteran blocker and pass catcher. With Stockton at quarterback, a better running game is needed against Notre Dame.
Play Defense and run the ball are keys to Georgia’s victory.
Georgia 23 Notre Dame 13.
Strike The Pose
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After winning the Heisman Trophy, Colorado’s Travis Hunter hugged his fiancée and then his mom.
When he got to Buffaloes’ coach Deion Sanders, the hug lasted a little longer.
He even went back in for another, putting his head on Sanders’ shoulder, and you could hear Hunter getting choked up.
Hunter thanked Coach Prime for changing his life, but the same can be said the other way around. Hunter is Sanders’ proof of concept.
Travis Hunter’s rise to stardom, fulfilling the promise of his five-star potential while playing full-time on both offense and defense, is Sanders’ most significant accomplishment as a college football coach. Hunter is the example Sanders can hold up to every other blue-chip recruit in the country.
More importantly, Hunter’s spectacular season should serve as an example to all those blue-chippers pondering where to go to school: Those coaches need you more than you need them. Don’t be afraid to chart your own path.
“I wanted to be different,” said Hunter, who also won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver and the Bednarik Award as the best defender. “So, you know me, being different makes me feel more comfortable than doing the norm.”
Coaches sell players on their ability to get guys to the NFL all the time. The numbers suggest the Alabamas, Georgias and Ohio States are better than most at developing NFL players.
The reality, though, is what really sets those programs apart is their ability to recruit more players with NFL potential.
Hunter, a Florida native, could have gone to any school in the country after playing high school ball in Georgia.
He was committed to Florida State, but at the last moment flipped to Jackson State, a historically Black university in the FCS.
It was truly a road not taken. In the modern era of recruiting rankings, where the best of the best are identified and sorted earlier and better than ever, no player with Hunter’s pedigree had ever chosen to play in Division I’s second tier instead of the top.
For Sanders, it was the ultimate recruiting coup, swiping Hunter from his old school in Tallahassee.
Sanders sold something bigger than just getting Hunter to the league. During ESPN’s Heisman show, Sanders said he encouraged Hunter to be “unapologetically” himself.
Hunter’s mom, Ferrante Edmonds, called her son Travis a little goofy. He wears onesies. He said he never really listened to music until his fiancé opened his ears to Lil Wayne (who showed up on Saturday to congratulate Hunter).
Hunter’s favorite thing besides football is fishing. He said he spent his Friday night in New York watching fishing videos to chill out.
How many coaches would have given Hunter the opportunity to play both ways to the extent of Sanders, who probably could have done the same when he played for Bobby Bowden at Florida State, did with Hunter?
Hunter, along with Sanders’ son and star quarterback, Shedeur, will play their last games for No. 23 Colorado on Dec. 28 in the Alamo Bowl against No. 17 BYU.
Sanders has been adamant about his intent to remain Colorado’s head coach when his sons (he includes Hunter with Shedeur and defensive back Shilo) move on.
Hunter is unicorn of a football player, the legacy he leaves behind hopefully encourages more players to take the road less traveled.
