They have to. It's complete bullshit that one school can literally give twice as much as another school!
Well, that's especially true when it comes to certain schools. As a Florida fan, we've taken it on the chin several times (in the 80's and 1990) and both times it cost us a conference championship.
3rd or 4th best line in SEC, at best. Dominant players at LT and C and question marks at the other 3 spots. plenty of talent up front and certainly better than the 2013 group. 2014 team struggled some in rush blocking but were strong pass blockers...2015 a work in progress but with Kelly calling the sets at center and Cam stomping the opponents blind side pass rush that is a decent start
I agree with Roll Tide that Bama's offensive line is solid but still a work in progress. The advantage that Alabama enjoys is depth. Maybe unproven depth, but players with up-side potential at every position. Georgia and Arkansas or Arkansas and Georgia probably have the best O-Lines in the conference. Because of Alabama's coaching...my take is they will measure up to former Alabama lines when all is said and done.
RT's cow college has a pretty strong O-line also.
One of Nick Saban's biggest legacies to college football will be the creation of the "analyst" or "quality control coach" positions. This is definitely a case of the have's and have not's (meaning the richer schools can do it.....while the smaller schools are struggling to pay their DB and WR coaches competitive salaries).
Remember: these positions are not "on-field" positions....they are "support" and administrative (well, according the NCAA rules...because a team can only have 9 "on-field" coaches).
One of the things that amazes me about these positions is the talent that these schools pull in to do the job. A lot of these coaches QUIT an actual on-field coaching job to take a non-coaching job (or at least not "on-field" coaching job).
Tennessee just pulled in one such "quality control coach" away from an on-field coaching job (of course he's taking a pay raise, I'm sure....and getting the experience of coaching in big-time college football...so for his future success this is probably a great move):
Tennessee: John Carroll University offensive coordinator / offensive line coach Tommy Zagorski has joined the Tennessee staff as an offensive quality control coach. Zagorski had been at John Carroll since 2008, when he joined as a graduate assistant. He became offensive coordinator in 2013. In addition, Michigan graduate assistant Kevin Koger has joined the Tennessee staff as an offensive quality control coach. Koger spent the past two seasons at Michigan, working with tight ends. He played at Michigan from 2008-11.
Remember: these positions are not "on-field" positions....they are "support" and administrative (well, according the NCAA rules...because a team can only have 9 "on-field" coaches).
One of the things that amazes me about these positions is the talent that these schools pull in to do the job. A lot of these coaches QUIT an actual on-field coaching job to take a non-coaching job (or at least not "on-field" coaching job).
Tennessee just pulled in one such "quality control coach" away from an on-field coaching job (of course he's taking a pay raise, I'm sure....and getting the experience of coaching in big-time college football...so for his future success this is probably a great move):
Tennessee: John Carroll University offensive coordinator / offensive line coach Tommy Zagorski has joined the Tennessee staff as an offensive quality control coach. Zagorski had been at John Carroll since 2008, when he joined as a graduate assistant. He became offensive coordinator in 2013. In addition, Michigan graduate assistant Kevin Koger has joined the Tennessee staff as an offensive quality control coach. Koger spent the past two seasons at Michigan, working with tight ends. He played at Michigan from 2008-11.
Georgia: Director of player development John Eason will retire following the 2015 season. Eason has spent 23 years with Mark Richt, including the past 15 at Georgia. Eason followed Richt from Florida State to Georgia as wide receivers / assistant head coach in 2001. He moved to director of football operations in 2009 and to director of player development in 2010.
SEC TE Coaches:
Highest-paid SEC tight ends coach (non-coordinator): Bobby Williams ($440,840)
Lowest-paid coach: Scott Sallach ($165,000)
Average salary (non-coordinator): $277,349
Note: Vanderbilt doesn’t have to disclose salary info, and Nord’s salary has not been released.
Oldest coach: Greg Nord (59)
Youngest coach: Mark Elder (mid-30s)
Salary (non-coordinator):
Bobby Williams (Alabama) - $440,840
Vince Marrow (Kentucky) - $350,000
Scott Fountain (Auburn) - $325,000
Steve Ensminger (LSU) - $310,000
G.A. Mangus (South Carolina) - $275,000
John Lilly (Georgia) - $250,000
Jeff Banks (Texas A&M) - $250,000
Mark Elder (Tennessee) - $240,000
Maurice Harris (Ole Miss) - $220,000
Barry Lunney Jr. (Arkansas) - $200,000
Scott Sallach (Mississippi State) - $165,000
Greg Nord (Florida) - Not available
Gerry Gdowski (Vanderbilt) - N/A
At school since:
Bobby Williams (Alabama) - 2008
John Lilly (Georgia) - 2008
Scott Fountain (Auburn) - 2009 (TE since 2013)
Scott Sallach (Mississippi State) - 2009
Josh Henson (Missouri) - 2009 (TE since 2013)
G.A. Mangus (South Carolina) - 2009 (TE since 2014)
Steve Ensminger (LSU) - 2010
Maurice Harris (Ole Miss) - 2012
Barry Lunney Jr. (Arkansas) - 2013
Vince Marrow (Kentucky) - 2013
Mark Elder (Tennessee) - 2013
Jeff Banks (Texas A&M) - 2013
Gerry Gdowski (Vanderbilt) - 2014
Greg Nord (Florida) - 2015
Draft picks since 2010 (as position coach):
Bobby Williams (Alabama) - 2
John Lilly (Georgia) - 2
Josh Henson (Missouri) - 2 (0 TE)
G.A. Mangus (South Carolina) - 2
Barry Lunney Jr. (Arkansas) - 1
Scott Fountain (Auburn) - 1
Scott Sallach (Mississippi State) - 1
Mark Elder (Tennessee) - 1 (0 TE)
Greg Nord (Florida) - 0
Vince Marrow (Kentucky) - 0
Steve Ensminger (LSU) - 0
Maurice Harris (Ole Miss) - 0
Jeff Banks (Texas A&M) - 0
Gerry Gdowski (Vanderbilt) - 0
Bama's Bobby Williams is also the Special Teams Coordinator for the Tide. He and Saban have coached together for
years. Not a bad recruiter but average special teams coach...at least in my opinion. He must be better than average
in Saban's eyes because he's still doing it.
All Alabama coaches are well paid and they are expected to earn it. Saban works long hours and expects the same,
maybe even more from his coaching staff.
years. Not a bad recruiter but average special teams coach...at least in my opinion. He must be better than average
in Saban's eyes because he's still doing it.
All Alabama coaches are well paid and they are expected to earn it. Saban works long hours and expects the same,
maybe even more from his coaching staff.
Former 4-star Texas OL enrolled at Auburn
Nearly two months ago it was reported that Darius Jameswould be moving on from Texas to Auburn. This weekend, that news has semi-officially come to fruition.
A school spokesperson has confirmed to al.com that James has enrolled at AU and will continue his playing career with the Tigers.
Because of NCAA transfer rules, James will be forced to sit out the 2015 season. Beginning in 2016, James will have two years of eligibility remaining.
A four-star member of UT’s 2013 recruiting class per Rivals.com — and a composite five-star recruit according to 247Sports.com — James was rated as the No. 1 center in the country; the No. 7 player at any position in the state of Texas; and the No. 65 player overall. He took a redshirt as a true freshman, then started two games during the 2014 season before sustaining a knee injury in early November that knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
Nearly two months ago it was reported that Darius Jameswould be moving on from Texas to Auburn. This weekend, that news has semi-officially come to fruition.
A school spokesperson has confirmed to al.com that James has enrolled at AU and will continue his playing career with the Tigers.
Because of NCAA transfer rules, James will be forced to sit out the 2015 season. Beginning in 2016, James will have two years of eligibility remaining.
A four-star member of UT’s 2013 recruiting class per Rivals.com — and a composite five-star recruit according to 247Sports.com — James was rated as the No. 1 center in the country; the No. 7 player at any position in the state of Texas; and the No. 65 player overall. He took a redshirt as a true freshman, then started two games during the 2014 season before sustaining a knee injury in early November that knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
average? you're very kind
i'm all for loyalty but this is a pretty clear case of saban letting his buddy hang around too long. He was with him at MSU, LSU, Dolphins, and Bama and honestly he has 11 4-5 stars on every play up against largely 2-3 stars and our special teams is a disaster. I had to close my eyes every time Christion Jones attempted to catch a punt and our field goal kicking in his term has been well documented (especially road or neutral games).
It has been suggested on some bama fan boards that the reason our kickoff return & coverage teams, in particular, have been so awful is because it is 4-5 star players maybe giving minimal effort. But I'm pretty sure Williams would prefer an elite athlete over a marginal D1 player so IMO there is no excuse for how awful punt & kickoff returns (since arenas) have been along with the kickoff coverage team. Our punt coverage excellence LY was all JK Scott, of course, since there's not a whole lot to do when a kid bangs a 72 yarder that goes out of bounds at the 3
from a TE perspective perhaps only colin peek has actually met his potential under williams and he better get an exceptional year out of OJ Howard who was the #1 TE out of HS. He's been pretty underwhelming in FR and SO seasons
SEC Media Days Open with New Commissioner
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...ng-bob-dylan-says-sec-will-continues-to-lead/
The SEC Media Days got underway from Hoover, Alabama Monday afternoon and for the first time saw Greg Sankey commence the festivities in the role as commissioner of the SEC. Sankey opened things up by recognizing the changing of the guard, and he did so by quoting Bob Dylan, which resonated very well with a good handful of the media assembled in Hoover this week.
Sankey was not there to show too many cards when it comes to future plans for the conference, but he did establish his position on the growth of the sEC brand compared to other conference’s motives. Sankey embraced the roots of the SEC conference and took a mild jab at the plans of other conferences in expanding their football brand beyond the borders of the United States, if not just its typical geographic footprint. Knowing there has been some criticism about the SEC’s football standing after two seasons without a national champion, Sankey said the SEC “may not win every championship, we will aspire to achieve that goal and we’ll do so with our heads held high.”
“The SEC is a conference that leads, period,” Sankey said later at the desk on SEC Network following his opening address. Sankey’s overall message is the SEC will continue to be a leader in anything going on in collegiate athletics, from cost-of-attendance to autonomy issues and more. In a mild manner, Sankey planted the SEC flag rather firmly without ruffling too many feathers in other conferences.
Sankey was alter asked about his thoughts on the first year of the College Football Playoff, to which he jokingly replied “Four SEC teams would be great.” Sankey said four teams in the playoff was a good start, and the idea of expanding the playoff brings many questions regarding to the regular season, conference championship games and (of course) exams.
One other note dropped by Sankey was the latest update in the short history of the SEC Network. The network, broadcasting its first SEC Media Day after launching last August, has hit the 70 million subscriber mark in just under one full year. The success of the network was rpedicted and expected, although it continues to exceed even some of the most optimistic expectations so soon after launching.
There was no trailer to “Batman v Superman” to unveil to the masses, but Sankey did show off a teaser for “SEC Beyond The Field,” which will highlight a number of selected student-athletes from the SEC gridiron. “I am the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, but they are the SEC,” Sankey said.
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...ng-bob-dylan-says-sec-will-continues-to-lead/
The SEC Media Days got underway from Hoover, Alabama Monday afternoon and for the first time saw Greg Sankey commence the festivities in the role as commissioner of the SEC. Sankey opened things up by recognizing the changing of the guard, and he did so by quoting Bob Dylan, which resonated very well with a good handful of the media assembled in Hoover this week.
Sankey was not there to show too many cards when it comes to future plans for the conference, but he did establish his position on the growth of the sEC brand compared to other conference’s motives. Sankey embraced the roots of the SEC conference and took a mild jab at the plans of other conferences in expanding their football brand beyond the borders of the United States, if not just its typical geographic footprint. Knowing there has been some criticism about the SEC’s football standing after two seasons without a national champion, Sankey said the SEC “may not win every championship, we will aspire to achieve that goal and we’ll do so with our heads held high.”
“The SEC is a conference that leads, period,” Sankey said later at the desk on SEC Network following his opening address. Sankey’s overall message is the SEC will continue to be a leader in anything going on in collegiate athletics, from cost-of-attendance to autonomy issues and more. In a mild manner, Sankey planted the SEC flag rather firmly without ruffling too many feathers in other conferences.
Sankey was alter asked about his thoughts on the first year of the College Football Playoff, to which he jokingly replied “Four SEC teams would be great.” Sankey said four teams in the playoff was a good start, and the idea of expanding the playoff brings many questions regarding to the regular season, conference championship games and (of course) exams.
One other note dropped by Sankey was the latest update in the short history of the SEC Network. The network, broadcasting its first SEC Media Day after launching last August, has hit the 70 million subscriber mark in just under one full year. The success of the network was rpedicted and expected, although it continues to exceed even some of the most optimistic expectations so soon after launching.
There was no trailer to “Batman v Superman” to unveil to the masses, but Sankey did show off a teaser for “SEC Beyond The Field,” which will highlight a number of selected student-athletes from the SEC gridiron. “I am the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, but they are the SEC,” Sankey said.
Gus Malzahn goes First at SEC Media Days: He loves Will Muschamp:
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20150713/ARTICLES/150719899?tc=cr
It’s a confident bunch of Auburn Tigers in Hoover, Ala. The defenders love their new defensive coordinator and they think their quarterback is going to blow people away.
Will Muschamp and Jeremy Johnson were the biggest topics of conversation as the War Eagles kicked off SEC Media Days today. Every team here will have confidence because none of them have lost a game yet, but Auburn seems to be dripping with it.
“I’d put this staff against any in college football,” Gus Malzahn said. “Our future is very bright.”
It’s a tough schedule for the Tigers, including an opener on CBS against Louisville and the Tigers only return four starters on offense. But Malzahn pointed out that his younger players got plenty of reps as backups.
He’s extremely fired up about Johnson, who is considered to be a much better passer than Nick Marshall.
“And he’s a better runner than people think,” Malzahn said.
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20150713/ARTICLES/150719899?tc=cr
It’s a confident bunch of Auburn Tigers in Hoover, Ala. The defenders love their new defensive coordinator and they think their quarterback is going to blow people away.
Will Muschamp and Jeremy Johnson were the biggest topics of conversation as the War Eagles kicked off SEC Media Days today. Every team here will have confidence because none of them have lost a game yet, but Auburn seems to be dripping with it.
“I’d put this staff against any in college football,” Gus Malzahn said. “Our future is very bright.”
It’s a tough schedule for the Tigers, including an opener on CBS against Louisville and the Tigers only return four starters on offense. But Malzahn pointed out that his younger players got plenty of reps as backups.
He’s extremely fired up about Johnson, who is considered to be a much better passer than Nick Marshall.
“And he’s a better runner than people think,” Malzahn said.
Quotable: “Defensively, we hired Will Muschamp, who in my opinion is the best defensive mind in all of football, not just college. The defensive players have taken on his personality. Overall, I really like this team. I would put this (coaching) staff against any in college football. Our future is bright at Auburn.” — Gus Malzahn
I love Steve Spurrier....and hate that he's at South Carolina. But in the hearts of most Gator fans he's still a Gator and always will be. Most of us understand what happened and he's doing what he's got to do...and most of us wish him well every weekend but one.
This is from the Gainesville Sun:
McElwain and the HBC
At a memorial service for former coach Ray Graves last month, McElwain had a chance to spend some time with Steve Spurrier. At the end of the ceremony, Spurrier showed McElwain how to sing “We are the Boys.” (UF fans sing this song at the end of the 3rd quarter of every ball game)
“I had an opportunity to meet him, speak with him a couple separate times, and just what a great guy and really knowledgeable as far as it comes to the offensive side of the ball,” McElwain said. “I drive by work every day and pass his statue. That’s pretty cool.
“I look forward to someday being able to sit down and pick his brain because he’s one of the true guys offensively that knows how to get it done.”
This is from the Gainesville Sun:
McElwain and the HBC
At a memorial service for former coach Ray Graves last month, McElwain had a chance to spend some time with Steve Spurrier. At the end of the ceremony, Spurrier showed McElwain how to sing “We are the Boys.” (UF fans sing this song at the end of the 3rd quarter of every ball game)
“I had an opportunity to meet him, speak with him a couple separate times, and just what a great guy and really knowledgeable as far as it comes to the offensive side of the ball,” McElwain said. “I drive by work every day and pass his statue. That’s pretty cool.
“I look forward to someday being able to sit down and pick his brain because he’s one of the true guys offensively that knows how to get it done.”
Spurrier left Florida for the Pros (Washington) which set he and his family financially up for life. Taking the job at
South Carolina was a surprise to many of us old timers but after some time...maybe not. The guy loves to coach
and he loves the challenge. Plus, ton of nice golf courses in South Carolina.....
If the ole ball coach had stayed in Gainesville.....who knows his legacy?
South Carolina was a surprise to many of us old timers but after some time...maybe not. The guy loves to coach
and he loves the challenge. Plus, ton of nice golf courses in South Carolina.....
If the ole ball coach had stayed in Gainesville.....who knows his legacy?
In Muschamp’s four seasons, Florida averaged 25.3 points per game (90th out of 128 teams), 336.5 yards per game (117th), 5.18 yards per play (105th) and 170.5 passing yards per game (120th).
In the five seasons since Tebow graduated, only Kansas and Georgia Tech threw fewer touchdown passes than the Gators (67) among Power 5 teams. Georgia Tech runs the flexbone, and Kansas has 12 wins since 2010.
In the five seasons since Tebow graduated, only Kansas and Georgia Tech threw fewer touchdown passes than the Gators (67) among Power 5 teams. Georgia Tech runs the flexbone, and Kansas has 12 wins since 2010.
The common explanation for Spurrier leaving UF was "he wanted to coach in the NFL". Insider info says otherwise. Long story short: the new UF President at the time (Charles Young, an interim President who was never an official UF President) came to UF from UCLA. Needless to say, he was very liberal. After Spurrier got into the pissing contest w/ the FSU President (Dave Hart, now at Tennessee), Charles Young told Spurrier to make a public apology (through the AD, Jeremy Foley). Spurrier told him to F-off....Young said, "He will never coach another game here unless he makes an apology". Next thing you know, Spurrier resigns....w/ NO job offer from an NFL team. He was later offered by Washington.
To add to the story, Bernie Machen (the next UF President who came from Utah...where he hired Urban Meyer to be his football coach), allegedly told Spurrier's agent that if he wanted the job (after he left the NFL and Zook was fired) that he needed to submit a resume (Spurrier wanted the job back). Spurrier said, "Go look in the trophy case." Florida hired Meyer.....and Spurrier ended up at South Carolina. The rest, as they say, is history.
