Saban has been successful in requiring recruits and coaches to embrace the "process". I am fairly confident that if Kiffin had not bought in, he would not be around.
Will Grier leaving the Gators. I'm not sure why, if he stays in Div 1 he still can't play till his 1 year is up, and the current Starting QB is not very good so you'd think he'd be right back in the saddle midseason.
I'm curious. Does his one year transfer deferment of eligibility begin after his suspension ends or when he transfers?
He effectively can't play until October of 2017. Strange move. Maybe he wants to play close to home for the coach that recruited him... Will Muschamp at S.C. Jim McElwain has said he did not block any school that Will wants to transfer to. Can't really understand the move..... I do think Will would have been the man at UF when he came back in October.
Interesting discussion this morning about Grier, seems McElwain would not let him associate with the team until January and possibly ruffled feathers. Also supposedly since his suspension runs so far into the season the coaching staff decided they had to run with what they had as far as a starting QB and utilize freshman and transfers where Grier would not have any guarantee he would get playing time...? I didn't realize his family checked him into a rehab facility for two months at the time of his suspension and there are rumors of more than over the counter drug issues...
That is very interesting. You certainly don't get checked in to rehab for accidentally taking a banned supplement.
He's going to have a tough road if he's not available to midseason. Any team that takes him will have to start the year with another kid, and if that kid leads the team well and they have success there is no guarantee that he'll ever get the starting job unless there is an injury...or the kid gets caught with a banned supplement!
One positive for the Gators is the freshman QB (I forget his name) they held back this season was superb in spring practice before being redshirted and actually outplayed Grier according to coaches. The temptation to play this freshman had to be incredible with the QB play after Grier left...
To me, it's telling that the FL coach did not restrict what school/team to which he could tranfer, even a school in the SEC East. If I'm the coach of a team potentially interested in him, I'm concerned that his old coach has no qualms about possibly competing against him in the future.
I dunno Sid.... the kid completed 63% of his passes..... completed FIVE fourth down conversion throws late in the game to beat Tenn..... and led his team to a 6-0 record and a complete demolition of #3 at the time Ole Miss. Pretty decent resume.....
I really like the direction Mark Richt has Miami moving in on the recruiting front, we are far from making a national statement this season as we just don't have the depth yet but he's working on it... SUNDAY BUZZ COLUMN Local high school coaches and prospects are raving about Mark Richt and his staff and the changes they’ve made in UM’s approach with South Florida recruiting. And the efforts have paid off, with the recent addition of several local prospects, including four-star Columbus cornerback Trajan Bandy. “They are doing a terrific job sending the right coaches after the kids they’re recruiting,” said Booker T. Washington coach Tim Harris, who was on Al Golden’s UM staff. “It’s a matter of time before they are going to be able to keep all the kids in South Florida that they want. Coach Richt’s record speaks for itself in terms of the character and integrity that he has and walking into a household with families that can trust he is going to take care of their son.” Plantation American Heritage coach and former Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain put it this way: “The guy won at Georgia and guys respect that. He has a plan and guys want to follow that plan. He’s getting recruits that in past years were going to Florida State and Florida; he’s getting those kids to stay home. He’s bringing an SEC mentality, getting big up front on the lines. The skill guys will [always] come.” Local coaches cite a few changes that Richt has made from Golden. For starters, “I see the coaches around much more than the previous staff,” Fort Lauderdale Dillard coach Lorenzo Davis said. “And they come in droves, the maximum you can bring at a time – at least three.” Central’s Navaughn Donaldson, a UM oral commitment rated the nation’s No. 4 guard and 80th best prospect by Rivals, committed to UM when Golden was coach but said the new staff “is more aggressive, more into it. They do things different. They want me coming out to the U, to spend time with the team. That makes me feel [wanted]. I like it.” Miami Southridge coach Billy Rolle praised Richt for his novel idea of making regular appearances at youth football leagues in local parks, cultivating future relationships. “I haven’t seen a coach do that,” Rolle said. “I don’t even do that! Everyone was impressed.” Another change: Richt held five seven-on-seven camps on campus this summer. Golden had only one (in 2015), none before. “Their summer camp set up is more advantageous to the kids [than the previous one],” Columbus coach Chris Merritt said. “The past staff had different philosophies with the camps but I like the idea of not traveling all over the entire state to go to 7 on 7 competitions when I can go down to Coral Gables a couple of times during the summer. Richt's recent Paradise Camp for high school prospects, which lured star assistant coaches (Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, among others) “was impressive,” Dillard’s Davis said. “You had guys who played at the highest level of football.” What’s more, Dillard high-end defensive line prospects Jon Ford (Rivals’ No. 22 strongside defensive end who is orally committed to UM) and Jordan Wright (who’s strongly considering UM) are convinced that the new staff’s defensive philosophy will get UM better defensive linemen. When the previous staff recruited Ford, he said he wasn’t interested because “the defensive scheme wasn’t my type, just sitting on the line and reading [and reacting]. I like to get to the quarterback as soon as possible and make a play in the backfield. I like their [new] attacking style; no waiting. I see a big change coming into Miami; I just know Miami will be the Miami it used to be.” Bottom line, Central coach Roland Smith said, is Richt and his staff are “doing a phenomenal job, starting out on the right foot. He comes across as truthful. You can tell when you talk to him he’s a spiritual guy and guy who’s trustworthy.”
You guys got Lucky that UGA grew tired of Richt. He's an excellent coach and he knows the recruiting in Fla and Ga. Being a UM graduate also helps. He should do a great job for you guys on all fronts.
Irish recruiting is going pretty well, we are currently in the top 10 for 2017 but there is a long way to go and we have some really big needs that have not been filled yet. Recently got stiffed by the younger brother of one of our WR's. Osiris St. Brown chose Stanford. Daniel Cage who will be a big contributor on the DL this year has a younger brother who chose Ohio State. Alabama and Ohio State have really separated themselves from the rest of us this year. Texas like last year seems to be lagging, I hope we have the same finishing kick that we did last year though. We do have one of the better QB's in the nation in the 2017 class though. He grew up in Austin, parents are UT grads and his coach (Todd Dodge) was a UT QB. Sam Ehlinger a dual threat guy who shined in the Elite 11 this summer. It sure is a different feel from the Mack Brown days, we'd pretty much have the whole class locked up by now and be solidly in the top 10 some place.