Off-season CFB notes

[cloverleaf]

Texas - Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele was the highlight as the Longhorns
wrapped up spring practice. Buechele passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns and
generally outplayed senior Tyrone Swoops. The true freshman enrolled early to take
part in spring practice. Now he's in a three man quarterback race to be the starter this
season. Ain't like Texas doesn't need a productive QB after the last two years.

 

[cloverleaf]

Miami - At Georgia, Mark Richt always enjoyed tremendous depth in the running game, and
he liked using multiple players in the rotation. It's not quite Athens, but the coach loves the
backs he inherited in Miami. Joseph Yearby rushed for over 1000 yards in 2015, and Mark
Walton (450 yds) laid the foundation for being a very productive runner. Both are bigger,
stronger and better according to Richt. Add in Gus Edwards who missed last season with a foot
injury and the Cane backfield became deeper and more diverse. He's the big back (6-2, 240)
Miami was missing last year. With Brad Kaaya (3238 yds, 16 TDs) back at quarterback, Richt
seems confident his first team can improve on last year's 8-5 record. Miami should be 4-0
before hosting Florida State in a key game for determining any progress under Richt.

 

[cloverleaf]

Michigan State - The Spartans won the second most games in school history last season (12)
and rank fourth in wins by FBS teams since 2013 (36). That trend might suggest the program
is still among the nation's elite but it might be wise to remember the past doesn't always
guarantee a team's performance for a coming season. The Spartans have issues folks. QB, WR,
OL and DL to name a few. Beware!

 

[CoachCB]

Motorcycle Boy gets a raise. Yep, Louisville's Bobby Petrino receives a new 7-year
deal worth $30.626 million, averaging $4.35 million per year. Petrino is 17-9 in two
seasons since returning to the Cards. He was 34-17 during his four "Motorcycle Boy"
years at Arkansas.

This is crazy. Why would Louisville bump his pay that much? It's not like other programs are beating the door down for him. He's pretty much damaged goods and was lucky as hell Western Kentucky offered him. I can see giving him a raise, but they went overboard. He's 17-9 and took over a program that was in very good shape when Charlie Strong left.

 

[CoachCB]

Pat Narduzzi complaining about the new trend in hiring "support staff". I tend to agree w/ him that there should be a limit on this. It's out of control:

http://coachingsearch.com/article?a...-support-staff-You-want-the-field-to-be-level

Support staffs have exploded in the past five years, but count Pat Narduzzi in the group that wants to see a cap.


CBS Sports reported in January that Alabama spends at least $2.7 million on support staff for recruiting, scouting, etc. When asked about the topic on the ACC Coaches Teleconference, Narduzzi joked that he would have to be the controversial guy. Narduzzi doesn’t have a number in mind, but he says there should be a limit, like there is with strength coaches (5).


“I think there has to be some limit. There’s a limit to everything. I guess the only thing there isn’t a limit to is your alumni contributions,” he said. “There’s a limit in the NFL, there’s salary caps, staff limitations. When you think about college football and the business it is, there has to be some type of limitations. I think they went through limitations in football, and football was behind where basketball was.





“There used to be a rule where you couldn’t hire a guy two years prior to recruiting a guy or two years afterward. I don’t think we’re to that point in college football. There’s got to be some limitations.”
Alabama leads the way in support staff, and Nick Saban continually says it provides more opportunities for coaches. Every year, quality control coaches land full-time jobs, or experienced coaches who can’t find full-time work take an off-field job.


A lot of these hires are high school coaches moving up, too. Sometimes, they come from a key recruiting area. Jim Harbaugh hired former Paramus Catholic (NJ) head coach Chris Partridge for an off-field role. This offseason, Partridge was promoted to linebackers coach, and Michigan signed the No. 1 player in the country in Rashan Gary, who went to Paramus Catholic. Harbaugh is set to deliver the commencement address at the school this spring.


Narduzzi has no problem with high school coaches moving into college ball to further their career (or make more money), obviously, but he also worries what type of impact such an influx will have on the high school game. Facilities used to be the big arms race. Now, it's becoming staff members. As revenues increase, the money goes somewhere.


“There’s a chance of ruining a great high school sport, because we’re stealing great high school coaches and people that do a good job mentoring young men,” Narduzzi said. “Where football starts, there’s no more important component to our game than our youth coaches and high school coaches.


“When you start hiring coaches to just get their players, that adds to the staff. If you want to hire a guy and make him your quarterbacks coach or a full-time assistant, it’s fine, but there’s got to be some limitations. Overall, talking to a lot of ACC coaches, I think everybody’s firmly behind that. I don’t care what it is. If we want to say there’s 55 assistant coaches, let’s go to 55. At least make a mark of where we are and where we need to go, so there is some even competition. Coaches in the NFL or college football, that’s all you want: the field to be level.”

 

[CoachCB]

I like this from Va Tech assistant. These HS kids are such primadonna's and so full of themselves:

This tweet from Virginia Tech running backs coach Zohn Burden was interesting, and something for players to keep in mind.


“So..I Walked in: asked the Janitor about a recruit. He said: ‘bad attitude.’


“So I walked out.”

 

[GoSooners]

I like this from Va Tech assistant. These HS kids are such primadonna's and so full of themselves:

This tweet from Virginia Tech running backs coach Zohn Burden was interesting, and something for players to keep in mind.


“So..I Walked in: asked the Janitor about a recruit. He said: ‘bad attitude.’


“So I walked out.”

Justin Fuente was the best hire by any team in the offseason. His Memphis team was making teams look silly at times last year, even beating Ole Miss. Plus he walks into a great situation with 16 starters returning, including 8 defensive players that still have Bud Foster as the DC. It will probably come down to how he sorts out his QB situation. I think it will probably be that JUCO transfer Evans..

 

[cloverleaf]

That second game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech should be a good one.

Both schools are expected to be pretty good this season.

I agree, Fuente was a great hire for the Hokies after Beamer's long tenure.

 

[cloverleaf]

Former Florida Gator quarterback Will Grier is transferring to play for West Virginia.
Grier started six games for the Gators last year after relieving Treon Harris after the
season opener. He completed 106 of 161 passes for 1,204 yards and 10 touchdowns
before being suspended for failing a drug test and lost a year of eligibility. He will
have to sit out the 2016 season and then have two years of eligibility for W. Virginia.

 

[CoachCB]

Grier is a selfish punk.

I can't believe he's going to be allowed to play immediately in 2017. He still should have to serve the rest of the 1 year suspension.

 

[cloverleaf]

I'm thinking there was another former starting QB transferring into West Virginia.

May be wrong. I just can't remember a name.

 

[cloverleaf]

Coach, your Florida Gators are hell on wheels the first three games of the season.

Game 1: 25-0 straight up
Game 2: 14-2-1 against the spread
Game 3: 17-0 straight up

Where the Gators stumble some is playing at home off a loss (4-13 ATS).

 

[cloverleaf]

Florida/Miami to Renew Rivalry

The Gators and Hurricanes have agreed to open the 2019 season at Camping World
Stadium, the new name of the Citrus Bowl. It will be their first meeting since 2013.
The in-state rivals have a storied history, with the teams first playing in 1938 in
Gainesville. Miami leads the series 29-26, including wins in seven of the last eight
games. The teams played annually until 1987, but have met just six times since.

 

[CoachCB]

Coach, your Florida Gators are hell on wheels the first three games of the season.

Game 1: 25-0 straight up
Game 2: 14-2-1 against the spread
Game 3: 17-0 straight up

Where the Gators stumble some is playing at home off a loss (4-13 ATS).

Good info...

 

[groundhog11]

Grier is a selfish punk.

I can't believe he's going to be allowed to play immediately in 2017. He still should have to serve the rest of the 1 year suspension.

Wvu is is planning on him missing no time in 2017 and taking over for skylar Howard..

 

[GoSooners]

Looks like OU backup QB Thomas is moving on to playing baseball. Not good news since he was the most experienced backup QB. Since Knight is gone too, all they have left is a couple redshirt freshmen and a true freshman as backups. With the style of football Mayfield plays, I don't see him making it through the season without some sort of injury. He got knocked out (literally) in a couple games last year and missed some playing time. http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...lying-on-qb-cody-thomas-returning-to-sooners/

 

[cloverleaf]

Good move by Idaho......

........after being dropped by the Sun Belt Conference, Idaho is moving down a
tier in college football. The Vandals will start playing at the FCS level in 2018 as
a member of the Big Sky Conference.

New Mexico also lost their membership in the Sun Belt Conference.

 

[cloverleaf]

Looks like OU backup QB Thomas is moving on to playing baseball. Not good news since he was the most experienced backup QB. Since Knight is gone too, all they have left is a couple redshirt freshmen and a true freshman as backups. With the style of football Mayfield plays, I don't see him making it through the season without some sort of injury. He got knocked out (literally) in a couple games last year and missed some playing time. http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...lying-on-qb-cody-thomas-returning-to-sooners/

Sooner, I'm sure keeping Mayfield healthy is a high priority for Stoops and staff. Sounds like if Mayfield went down, unless Okie
signed a stud recruit...it would be a tremendous blow to the team.

 

[cloverleaf]

ground hog11, ran across an interesting stat about your West Virginia Mounties.

The Mountaineers are 21-8 against the spread as a conference dog. Taking it
a little further, they are 9-0 ATS from Game 10 out as a conference underdog.

 

[cloverleaf]

Oregon Quarterback - Dakota Prukop a graduate transfer from Montana looks to have the edge for the starting
quarterback position even though Mark Helfrich hasn't named a starter. Prukop, redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen
and true freshman Terry Wilson are competing for the job. Last season at Montana, Prukop passed for 3,025
yards and 28 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He also ran for 774 yards and 11 touchdowns. Montana, a member
of the Big Sky Conference won 5 and lost 6 games last year.