Texas A&M Aggies
Mixed Bag
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the 2024 SEC season was a mixed bag for one of the nation’s most dominant conferences.
While many SEC teams took care of business in nonconference matchups, the conference struggled in high-profile games against ranked opponents. The SEC went 1-3 against ranked teams, raising questions about its early-season strength and readiness for top competition.
The standout victory of the weekend was Georgia’s 34-3 dismantling of No. 14 Clemson.
The No. 1 Bulldogs looked every bit the part of a national championship contender, dominating both sides of the ball, once they settled in.
Georgia’s running back depth stood out, rushing for 169 yards against Clemson’s NFL-talent-loaded defensive front.
Freshman RB Nate Frazier emerged as a future star, leading the backfield with 84 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the impressive win, Georgia’s offense had a slow start, punting on three of its first five drives, struggling to convert scoring opportunities.
Clemson couldn’t keep up with Georgia’s depth in the second half, but the sluggish first half could be an issue against stronger offensive teams later in the season.
Elsewhere in the conference, however, the results were less encouraging.
Florida suffered a 41-17 blowout loss to No. 19 Miami.
The Gators struggled offensively, with quarterback Graham Mertz leaving due to injury. Freshman DJ Lagway showed flashes of promise, but the offensive line’s struggles, giving up three sacks and allowing constant pressure, were a significant problem. Florida’s defeat leaves the team searching for answers.
Texas A&M also fell short, losing 23-13 to No. 7 Notre Dame.
While the Aggie defense did well to limit Notre Dame’s quarterback, Riley Leonard, to just 158 passing yards, the offense faltered.
Quarterback Conner Weigman struggled with decision-making, throwing two costly interceptions. Texas A&M had opportunities to make a statement in head coach Mike Elko’s debut, but missed chances and mistakes cost them the game.
LSU continued its recent trend of struggles in season openers, losing 27-20 to No. 23 USC in Las Vegas.
The Tigers, despite being favored, failed to capitalize on key moments and displayed a lack of discipline. Costly penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct foul and a targeting penalty, contributed to LSU’s defeat.
The Tigers also struggled with tackling, allowing USC’s running backs to break free for extra yards on multiple occasions.
LSU’s wide receiver depth remains a strength, but the team’s defensive and disciplinary issues need to be addressed quickly.
On the positive side, most of the SEC teams dominated their nonconference matchups, though many of these victories came against inferior competition.
Alabama cruised to a 63-0 victory over Western Kentucky, with new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s aggressive defense making a strong debut.
Arkansas posted a 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson leading the Razorbacks’ rejuvenated ground game.
Auburn’s offense also shined in a 73-3 win over Alabama A&M, showcasing an explosive new-look passing attack led by freshmen receivers.
Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Missouri all secured comfortable wins, with Tennessee defeating Chattanooga 69-3, Mississippi State routing Eastern Kentucky 56-3, and Missouri shutting out Murray State 51-0.
SEC newcomers Oklahoma and Texas also started their seasons with dominant wins. Oklahoma dismantled Temple 51-3, while Texas blanked Colorado State 52-0.
There were some close calls in the conference, though. South Carolina narrowly escaped with a 23-19 win over Old Dominion, thanks to timely defensive plays from edge rushers Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, earned a hard-fought 34-27 overtime victory against Virginia Tech, with quarterback Diego Pavia providing a much-needed spark for the Commodores.
Kentucky’s 31-0 victory over Southern Miss was notable for being one of the shortest games in recent history, as it was called off with 9:56 left in the third quarter due to weather.
Quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who transferred from UGA, impressed in his first significant action, completing 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, despite the shortened game.
As the SEC moves forward into Week 2, teams will look to build on their successes and correct the issues that emerged in the opening week.
For some, like Georgia and Alabama, the season is off to a strong start. But for others, particularly those who lost marquee matchups, there is work to be done to meet the high expectations of the SEC.
Portal Power
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The transfer portal has changed college football drastically.
Players seem to hop from school to school now without much thought. Any team that wants to be a contender has to get talent from the transfer portal.
The 30-day winter transfer period ended January 2, 2024. Let’s take a look at the schools with the best transfer portal classes.
Ole Miss has the top ranked transfer portal class for 2024. The Rebels have 17 commits. The five-star player is defensive lineman Walter Nolen (Texas A&M). He was the #1 football recruit in the class of 2022 as a senior in high school. He played for the Aggies for two seasons, totaling 11 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.
The rest of the class consists of seven four-stars and nine three-star players.
Some of the top players are defensive end/edge Princely Umanmielen (Florida), wide receiver Antwane Wells (South Carolina), linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (Arkansas), corner back Trey Amos (Alabama), safety Yam Banks (South Alabama), running back Logan Diggs (LSU) and tight end Daequan Wright (Virginia Tech).
Texas A&M has the #2 class. The Aggies have 23 commits and 8 of them are four-star players. That’s great, considering they lost two five-stars in the transfer portal.
We already discussed Walter Nolen leaving for Ole Miss but they also lost wide receiver Evan Stewart to Oregon. Four-star defensive lineman LT Overton transferred to Alabama, tight end Jake Johnson transferred to UNC and wide receiver Raymond Cottrell transferred to Kentucky.
Four-star right tackle Chase Bisontis started all 12 regular season games for the Aggies last season. He entered his name in the portal but withdrew it and decided to return to College Station.
The top incoming players are edge rusher Nic Scourton (Purdue), corner Dezz Ricks (Alabama), wide receiver Cyrus Allen (Louisiana Tech), defensive end Cashius Howell (Bowling Green), corner Will Lee III (Kansas State), safety Marcus Ratcliffe (San Diego State), corner Donovan Saunders (Cal Poly) and linebacker Scooby Williams (Florida).
Florida State has the #4 transfer portal class.
The last time we saw the Seminoles was in the Orange Bowl where Georgia demolished them, 63-3. That did not stop them from getting 15 new transfer players and ten of them are four-stars.
Something that is very interesting is the amount of players coming in from Alabama.
The five incoming Crimson Tide players are linebacker Shawn Murphy, running back Roydell Williams, corner Earl Little II, offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson and receiver Malik Benson.
They also have two Oregon State players; defensive lineman Sione Lolohea and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei started his career at Clemson so he is at his third school.
They are also receiving edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia), wide receiver Jalen Brown (LSU) and defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia).
South Carolina has the #9 class. The Gamecocks class only has four four-star players.
The top player is running back Raheim Sanders (Arkansas). Sanders had a breakout year in 2022 as a sophomore, rushing for 1,443 yards, 10 touchdowns and he averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Unfortunately, in 2023 he tore his labrum in November. He also suffered a knee injury in Week 1.
South Carolina is also receiving linebacker Grayson Howard (Florida), linebacker Demetrius Knight (Charlotte) and edge rusher Kyle Kennard (Georgia Tech).
Last Laugh
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After Florida State’s win on Saturday, I wrote that FSU fans should never, ever dismiss rivalry wins. Especially when playing for so much, a loss would be devastating .
10-0 is pretty darn sweet. Even more when considering the last five or six years and THOSE challenges.
Which builds me a bridge to what happened in College Station on Sunday:
And let’s be clear, I’m not here to kick dirt on Jimbo Fisher while he’s down. Well, maybe not a wheelbarrow’s worth. It’s hard to refer to someone getting paid $75 million to not work as ‘down’. That sounds pretty up to me all things considered.
FSU fans remember and appreciate Jimbo’s run he had and the program he rebuilt in Tallahassee for about a decade. That 2013 team was one of the best in the history of the sport. He won three straight ACC championships and coached in five straight New Year’s Six bowl games.
For a time, Jimbo Fisher was a fantastic coach. He modernized a program that was in desperate need. Fisher’s accomplishments can never be overlooked, but what Jimbo never realized is he needed Florida State as much as Florida State needed Jimbo.
Fisher complained so much during his time in Tallahassee about what he wanted, about how hard it was to get things done or built or paid for or- At the end of his time there, he never came close to appreciating how great his job was.
He intimated repeatedly that Florida State wasn’t committed to winning. Which is, in today’s football, laughable.
He needed more resources. More money. More stuff. More. More. More.
Then he went to a place that has more than anyone. Jimbo fell on his face. Meanwhile, six years later, the place that isn’t committed to winning is 10-0 and ranked in the Top 4.
I truly wonder, on a day like Sunday if it ever hits Jimbo how completely idiotic a decision it was to leave Tallahassee to go coach in the talent wasteland in College Station.
I get it. His bank account has a bunch of extra zeroes now. He’s got all the ranches he could ever want.
For a dude that seemed so competitive, that just loves ball, loves coaching ball, loves winning, he absolutely torpedoed his chances at multiple championships and a lasting legacy because he was too busy whining about what he didn’t have.
Florida State was a punchline for a few years. Even Texas A&M fans, whose program hasn’t won a national title since Bobby Bowden was a 10-year-old boy, had the audacity to make fun of FSU’s plight.
Texas A&M’s savior, the one that Florida State fans warned them about, just got canned. Aggies, welcome to the punchline, you still owe Jimbo the GDP of a small country to go away.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles are 10-0 and two wins away from a perfect regular season.
Florida State has always been a special and dominant brand. Coach Norvell has re-established that.
No one is laughing at the Seminoles anymore.
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch April 14
Wild West
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Let’s take a look at the SEC West and preview how each team’s season will go.
#1 Alabama: The Crimson Tide are loaded with talent like they are every year. They return Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young and add Georgia Tech transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
There are also a pair of transfer wide receivers, Tyler Harrell (Louisville) and Jermaine Burton (Georgia).
Left tackle Evan Neal departed for the NFL. The offensive line gave up 41 sacks last year and they were very inconsistent. The defense held teams to 20.1 points per game last season and they should be better this year.
#2 Texas A&M: The Aggies had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2022.
The question is can they convert that into winning the West, getting to the SEC Championship and the CFB Playoff? No, but I think they can win double-digit games.
Quarterback Haynes King was injured in the second game of 2021. He returns in 2022 along with LSU transfer Max Johnson and true freshman Conner Weigman.
They need more big plays from the passing game and true freshman Evan Stewart could provide that. Devon Achane rushed for 910 yards, 9 touchdowns and averaged 7 yards per carry in ’21. He should have a breakout year and the offensive line returns three starters.
#3 Arkansas: All-SEC candidate KJ Jefferson returns at QB, four starters on the o line and a solid backfield led by Rocket Sanders.
It’s going to be tough to replace receiver Treylon Burks (66 catches) and the big-plays he used to make. Transfer receiver Jadon Haselwood (Oklahoma) and Matt Landers (Toledo) will compete with Warren Thompson for the top target.
The defense gave up 29.6 ppg in SEC Play last year but they thrived at getting third down stops and limiting teams in the red zone.
They only return four starters but they added several players from the transfer portal. That includes ends Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech) and Landon Jackson (LSU), linebacker Drew Sanders (Alabama), and defensive backs Dwight McGlothern (LSU) and Latavious Brini (Georgia).
#4 LSU: Bryan Kelly left Notre Dame to take over this program.
The Tigers are 11-12 over the last two seasons so they have a lot to improve. Only six starters return but they typically have talented players in Baton Rouge.
The secondary finished 12th in the SEC in pass efficiency defense last fall. They have several transfer players that should be able to contribute.
Garrett Nussmeier, Jayden Daniels and Myles Brennan are battling for the starting quarterback job.
#5 Ole Miss: The Rebels are coming off of 10 wins and a Sugar Bowl appearance. They lost several key contributors like QB Matt Corrall, running backs Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner and receiver Dontario Drummond.
USC transfer QB Jaxson Dart is expected to win the starting job. They also have several transfers on both sides of the ball.
#6 Mississippi State: The Bulldogs won seven games last year and return 17 starters. QB Will Rogers returns to lead an offense that averaged 378.3 passing yards per game and 29.1 ppg.
They allowed 34 sacks in 2021 and lose both starting tackles.
Having playmakers step up to keep the Air Raid going will be the storyline.
#7 Auburn: The Tigers lost five games to end the season, several players transferred and coach Bryan Harsin is already on the hot seat.
Running backs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter should be the focal point of the offense.
They ranked 11th in the SEC in scoring last season.
Omaha!
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the underrated sporting events in the country starts today and ends on June 27th.
It is the College World Series. The field looks balanced this year with no clear favorite after Tennessee, the self-proclaimed greatest team of all-time, choked at home in the Super Regionals losing to Notre Dame in grand fashion.
The field includes four SEC teams and two others, Oklahoma and Texas, who will be joining the SEC by 2025.
The SEC is dominant in most sports these days. The College World Series is played annually in Omaha, Nebraska. There should be plenty of SEC chants going on over the next 10 days. The CWS is a double-elimination tournament.
2022 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES Round 1
All Times Eastern
Friday, June 17
Oklahoma vs #5 Texas A&M 2 pm ESPN: A match-up of two SEC teams. One current and one in future in Oklahoma.
This was a huge rivalry when A&M was in the Big 12 so these programs are familiar with each other.
In his first year at Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle has reached the College World Series. He took TCU to Omaha five times in his 18 years at TCU. The Aggies are hot currently, so give me Texas A&M in this contest.
Notre Dame vs #9 Texas 7 pm ESPN: This should be a great contest. Texas lost game one in the Supers at East Carolina. Then come back and walked off with a win in game two and blew ECU out in game three to earn a trip to Omaha.
The Longhorns hit the long-ball frequently and will be a tough out in the CWS. Notre Dame, like I mentioned earlier, is riding high after beating Tennessee in Knoxville to earn a berth.
This is a tough gritty team that is dangerous in an environment like Omaha.
Give me Texas in this contest because the Longhorns have made the CWS field 38 times since the inception of the CWS.
The 2022 tournament marks the 75th playing of the CWS. Texas has been there more than half of the time. No other program has more than 25 appearances. Give me Texas in this match-up.
Saturday, June 18
Arkansas vs #2 Stanford 2 pm ESPN: Stanford always has good pitching, and this year is no exception. Arkansas was the Top overall seed in 2021 and did not make the CWS but went to Chapel Hill and beat a tough North Carolina team in three games to earn a spot in 2022.
Arkansas is peaking at the right time. Watch out for the Hogs. Give me Arkansas in this game.
Ole Miss vs #14 Auburn 7 pm ESPN2: Ole Miss may be the hottest team in college baseball right now. They were Preseason #1 that slumped badly in the middle of the season, only to get hot at tourney time.
The Rebels were the one of the last teams (probably last) selected to the field of 64 and have gone on a run and won a Super in Hattiesburg by sweeping Southern Miss and not giving up a run.
Auburn got sent to Corvallis, Oregon for a Super Regional and beat Oregon State.
Auburn has been a major surprise in 2022. The Tigers have a good power packed line-up. The SEC goes head-to-head in this one. Give me Ole Miss in this contest.
Teams with deep pitching staffs will rise to the top during the tourney. When it is all said and done, here is how I see it playing out:
Bracket One:
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
Texas
Texas A&M
Winner: Texas
Bracket Two:
Arkansas
Auburn
Ole Miss
Stanford
Winner: Arkansas
College WS Final:
Arkansas vs Texas
Winner: Arkansas
Arkansas is your 2022 National Baseball Champions.
Prove It To Me
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is that time of the year that is dreaded and that is the official ending of football season.
Football, the greatest game on the planet, is in hibernation until August. However, it is never too early to discuss SEC football in the South. Here is a look at my top five teams in the SEC with the most to prove in 2022:
1: Texas A&M: All the talent money can buy. They need a good season this year, and need to prove they can win.
Can Jimbo get it done in College Station? Yes, they beat Alabama last season, but they found a way to lose 4 football games.
The Aggies must find a QB that can lead this team to the SEC title game. The new NIL landscape favors the Aggies, who have very deep pockets. If this team can’t win 10-11 games this fall, then the heat starts mounting on Jimbo Fisher.
2: LSU: When you think LSU, you think contenders.
LSU will have a new coach, and will have to prove they are making progress.
I think Brian Kelly is a pretty good hire. Talent is never an issue in Baton Rouge, but right now the QB position is a big question mark. If the Tigers can figure that out quickly, they could be factor in the West.
3: Tennessee: The Vols have not been relevant since 2007, when they last won the SEC East.
Tennessee has not won a national title since 1998.
Skill position talent is much improved, but Tennessee does not have the offensive or defensive line talent to be a serious SEC contender yet.
Tennessee has lost 15 straight to Alabama and is 1-16 against Florida in the last 17 years.
Since Philip Fulmer was forced out in 2008 the Vols have whiffed on 4 straight head football coaches. Josh Heupel hopes to reverse that trend.
Tennessee went 7-6 in 2021. In the last five years Tennessee is a combined 0-15 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia, which are the 3 biggest games on the Vol schedule. Tennessee needs to beat one of those three teams in 2022.
4: Florida: Florida also has a new head coach.
They must prove they can compete in the SEC East. The East is way better when Florida can challenge UGA for that top spot.
Billy Napier was a great hire for UF. There is talent on the roster, but it is undisciplined talent. If Napier can change that culture in Gainesville and recruit then Florida will be back soon.
If Florida can win 8-9 games in 2022 then things should take off quickly in Gainesville.
Since Steve Spurrier retired Florida has missed on 4 of its last 5 football coaches. Only Urban Meyer has had consistent success since 2001.
Florida has not won an SEC or National Title since 2008. Too much talent in the State of Florida for the flagship university not to be a national player and to top it off you just lost to UCF in a bowl game.
5 Ole Miss: Ole Miss surprised a lot of people last season by being a top 10 team. Was it a fluke? They must prove they can maintain solid seasons with Lane for years to come.
I don’t think 2021 was a fluke for Ole Miss. If Matt Corral can be replaced then I think this team will finish right behind Alabama, and Alabama does come to Oxford in 2022.
The defense is improving, and we know a Lane Kiffin offense will produce. I think this will be the surprise team in the SEC next year. I believe Ole Miss is here to stay and 2022 will prove that.
I did not mention Auburn because Bryan Harsin is dead man walking on The Plains of Auburn. Of course, it has all been self-induced by Auburn, who set this man up for failure.
The Crystal Ball Of The SEC
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Labor Day weekend is upon us and that means the greatest game of all, College Football kicks off.
I love many sports, but college football is just special. In this part of the world, you have SEC football; which is the best brand in college athletics.
Others try and duplicate it, but they simply come up short.
Oklahoma and Texas are moving over probably next season instead of 2025. Some critics say conference expansion is bad using excuses like geography, and any other reason they can find.
We live in a generation of participation trophies as it relates to sports, and quite frankly the SEC has an ‘iron sharpens iron’ kind of mentality and that keeps them ahead of the rest in the college football world.
Here are my 2021 SEC Predictions:
Most Overrated Team: Texas A&M: The 2021 hype train has the Aggies picked by some to knock of Alabama to win the West.
I don’t think defensively A&M is there yet, and will Jimbo Fisher open up the offense to the Alabama and LSU levels of the past two seasons?
I don’t think the Aggies have those types of weapons and will come up short in the West. What happens if they lose at home to Alabama? Well, they are and I think they end up losing to Ole Miss and possibly LSU.
Most Underrated Team: Ole Miss: Ole Miss may end up having the best offense in the conference. So, when you line up against this team you better be prepared to score a lot of points.
Everyone harps on the Ole Miss defense, but I ask the question they can’t be worse than they were last year, right? I expect improvement out of the unit in 2021. This team could sneak up into the double-digit win category.
SEC West:
Alabama: Until someone knocks them off, they are the pick here.
Nick Saban is the best head coach in the history of the conference and he has the national championships to prove it in the playoff era of college football.
Ole Miss: This team is dangerous. Sleep on them if you want to.
Texas A&M: I’m just not buying the hype. This team is too conservative on offense, and do they have enough defense to be championship elite? The answer is no.
LSU: Coach O it is starting to slip away. Fix it in 2021 or your seat is going to get very hot.
Auburn: New coaching staff that wants to go from a spread offense to more of a pro type offense. Going to take some time Aubbies.
Arkansas: I love how the Hogs are building this roster, but you are in the best division of the best conference in college football.
Mississippi State: Not a terrible team, but you have six bowl teams ahead of you.
SEC East:
Georgia: This is an elite football program that gets the underachiever label by folks who don’t hold everyone to the same standard they judge UGA by.
Could it be they know UGA is about to knock the National Title door down in the near future and what that may mean? Cue the 1980 jokes haters.
Florida: Gators will be good, but a different kind of good. One that starts with better defensive play. Florida lost 6,600 yards and 79 TDs to the NFL draft from last year.
Missouri: A much improved Tiger squad could challenge for 2nd in the East.
Kentucky: Nope, I’m not buying what you are selling Cats. Your offense is like watching paint dry.
Tennessee: Vols are building back the roster. It is going to take a couple of years.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks are starting a Graduate Assistant at QB. Ouch!
Vanderbilt: We love the Dores during baseball season, but they are an instant win during the fall.
SEC Title game will be Alabama against Georgia.
How The West Was Won
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Why don’t we take a look at the toughest division in all of College Football and that, my friends, is the SEC West.
Here are my SEC West Predictions for 2019:
Alabama 12-0: Tua will be the frontrunner for the Heisman, and Najee Harris may be the best overall running back in the SEC when it is said and done production wise.
The Alabama receiving corps with headlined by Jerry Jeudy are the best in college football.
Nick Saban is the best in the business, and the Tide has the best starting 22 players in the country.
LSU comes to Bryant-Denny, but dangerous road trips to Texas A&M and Auburn seem to be the only hurdles on the regular season slate. Alabama heads to Atlanta for another epic showdown with Georgia for the SEC Title.
LSU 9-3: Coach O has got the Tigers headed back in the right direction.
Joe Burrow is back under center for a second straight season. John Emery is coming in at running back, and LSU has the best defensive backfield in the conference.
With that said this team is not going to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. A tough road game at Texas in week 2, and dangerous SEC road trips to Starkville and Oxford in mid-season. I think the Tigers drop one of those Magnolia State road trips.
Texas A&M 8-4: This schedule is brutal with the SEC West slate plus Clemson and Georgia. Is this team ready for primetime?
The Aggies lost their leader rusher and tackler from 2018. Is Kellen Mond an elite SEC QB? Jimbo Fisher is an elite coach, but it’s still too early to proclaim the Aggies as great in this division.
The Aggies will lose to Alabama and LSU in the West this year.
Auburn 8-4: Gus Malzahn is sitting on the hottest seat in the conference.
Who is going to be the starting QB? Will a running back up to Auburn historical standards surface? The front seven on defense will be solid and Derrick Brown may be the best defensive lineman in the conference.
Who knows about this team? Georgia and Alabama come to Jordan-Hare. Brutal schedule with the opener in Dallas against Oregon and a trip to Florida make it hard to predict big things for the Tigers in 2019 which usually means they play in the National Title game right?
A lot of questions right now in Auburn, Alabama. Gus is feeling the heat.
Ole Miss 8-4: This is my SEC West sleeper team. Yes, I see 8 wins on the schedule.
This team has some talent on offense with Matt Corral at QB. Ole Miss always has productive wide receivers. Can this defense hold up is the question?
I think the Rebels come back in 2019 after the probation period and go bowling.
Rich Rodriguez may have struggled as a head coach, but he is one of the best offensive coordinators in the business. This offense will cause problems in the SEC.
Mississippi State 6-6: The Bulldogs are going to struggle in 2019.
How do you lose three first round draft picks on defense from 2018 and improve on that side of the ball?
MSU gets in a bowl at 6-6 and the heat starts getting turned up on Joe Moorhead in 2020. Keytaon Thompson has talent at QB. The jury is out on the Bulldogs.
Arkansas 4-8: Chad Morris is in a total rebuild in Fayetteville.
It is going to take a couple more recruiting classes for Arkansas to be competitive again. Proud program that let a Big 10 coach come in and drive it over a cliff. Hog fans need to be patient with Chad Morris.
Bowl Teams: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Division upset of the year: Ole Miss over LSU in Oxford on 11/16. LSU suffers a letdown after losing to Alabama on 11/9.
SEC Championship Game: Georgia over Alabama
Coach Em Up
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
At the end of every season, regardless of the sport or the level of competition, there is turnover within the coaching ranks.
While a school like UCLA, who fired Steve Alford over three months ago, is still searching for his replacement, SEC schools have been hiring coaches as if they were contestants on “Supermarket Sweep.” In the span of basically two weeks, they filled their four vacant positions.
Alabama: Nate Oats. I don’t follow the inner workings of the Alabama basketball program, so unless there was some sort of internal dysfunction taking place, I was a bit surprised to see them let Avery Johnson go.
Putting my initial reaction aside, I think the Oats hiring has been the best hire, up to this point. The two time MAC Coach of the Year exceeded expectations at Buffalo and has already made an impact in Tuscaloosa, convincing John Petty to take his name out of the transfer portal and stay at Alabama.
His biggest task though is being just as persuasive with All-SEC player, Kira Lewis, whose name is still in the portal. If he can convince Lewis to return, Oats’ inaugural season with the Crimson Tide could be a very successful one.
Texas A&M: Buzz Williams. The former Hokies coach is certainly an upgrade from Billy Kennedy. In his eleven years at Marquette and Virginia Tech, Williams’ teams only twice failed to win 20 games, and only missed out on the NCAA Tournament three times.
It may take a year or two for that success to transfer to the Aggies, but there’s nothing in his past to make you think it won’t ultimately happen.
He doesn’t always have the best demeanor with fans and the media, and while that has absolutely nothing to do with his team’s on the court performances, it should make for some interesting columns in College Station.
Vanderbilt: Jerry Stackhouse. This was an interesting hire just because Stackhouse hasn’t been a name thrown around in the college circles that much, but I have to give Vanderbilt credit for thinking outside the box.
Stackhouse has minimal head coaching experience- he had a short stint in the D-League where he did win Coach of the Year in 2017- and I have no idea how he’ll do on the recruiting trail.
He does have a very good reputation on the NBA level though, and obviously did a good job developing his players in the D-League; hence the COY award.
Personally, I’ve always liked Stackhouse- as much as a Duke fan can like a Carolina player- so I hope he’s able to succeed.
Arkansas: Eric Musselman. Musselman’s a decent coach, but besides Nevada’s Elite 8 run in the tourney last year, I’m not sure there’s anything in his coaching past that makes you think he’s going to be the answer.
I guess when you haven’t made the Sweet Sixteen since 1996 you’re kind of forced to take whomever you can get. I’m not wishing for the guy to fail, but if you were to ask me which of these four will be the first to go, my money would be on Musselman.
The level of play within the SEC has drastically improved over the past few years, so all four coaches have their work cut out for them.
The question now is “Will they make the grade, or will they be forced back on the shelf, waiting for the next coaching cart to swing by and pick them up?”
