Tag: College Football News

247Sports ranks top-25 CFB coaches: Where is Georgia’s Kirby Smart?

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart was ranked 4th in 247Sports’ list of the top-25 coaches in college football.

On Thursday, Brad Crawford of 247Sports released his list of the top-25 coaches in college football.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart checked in at No. 4.

Crawford’s top-five was as follows:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama

2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

3. Ed Orgeron, LSU

4. Kirby Smart, Georgia

5. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

Smart was named the Bulldogs coach in 2015 after serving as Alabama defensive coordinator under Nick Saban for eight years.

Smart has led his alma mater to a 44-12 record over four years as the Bulldogs head coach and has boasted three consecutive No. 1 ranked recruiting classes.

There is no question that Smart has built a powerhouse at Georgia. He recruits at an elite level and has one of the best defensive minds in all of college football.

So, what separates Smart from Saban, Swinney and Orgeron?

A national championship.

Smart has led Georgia to three consecutive SEC East titles, an SEC Championship title, a College Football Playoff victory and a National Championship bid, but a couple of close losses to Bama have held the Bulldogs from the top of college football.

Jan 1, 2018; Pasadena, CA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart holds the Rose Bowl trophy — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

However, Smart will have another shot at a title in 2020 and it may be with the most talented team he has had in his time at Georgia.

The Bulldogs return many of the starters from the 2019 record-breaking defense and have a new air-raid offensive system behind the arm of Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

A few other notable names on the list:

#8 – Florida head coach Dan Mullen

#9 – Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher

#13 – Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn

#15 – Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops

#21 – Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt

Donovan McMillon includes Georgia football in top-10

UGA football recruiting: Georgia Bulldogs make top-10 for elite recruit Donovan McMillon.

Georgia has made the top-ten for the 200th ranked player in the nation, Donovan McMillon.

McMillon holds 53 scholarship offers but was able to cut that list to ten on Friday.

A 4-star safety in the class of 2021 out of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, McMillon’s top-ten schools are as follows:

Georgia, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and Virginia Tech.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 200 overall player, No. 8 safety and the No. 8 player in his state.

Out of his ten finalists, he has actually only visited two, Virginia Tech and Penn State.

Once he is allowed to visit schools again, he hopes to cut his list in half to five.

114 ADs predict whether or not we’ll have a 2020 CFB season

Brett McMurphy polled college ADs to determine how optimistic they are on if we will have a 2020 college football season. 

In recent weeks, there have been plenty of talks as to what the future holds for the 2020 college football season.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve seen multiple options presented regarding the 2020 season.

Delay the season, shorten the season, scrap the season altogether. We’ve heard it all, but for the time being all we can really do is just wait and see.

Quite honestly, I don’t care about your opinion on the matter and you probably don’t care about mine. If there’s a group of people who have an opinion worth caring about, it’s the college athletic directors — the ones actually faced with the task of making the best decision for the players, fans and coaches.

Thankfully, Brett McMurphy of Stadium reached out to all FBS collegiate athletic directors, receiving 114 out of 130 possible responses, to determine just how optimistic they are on if we will have a 2020 college football season.

Here are the numbers: 

99% of the FBS athletic directors do believe we will have a 2020 season in one form or another. Only one anonymous Power Five AD does not believe there will be any college football played this year.

That’s a nice number, but that does not mean they don’t think the season will be delayed.

Only 24% of the ADs think the season will actually begin as scheduled.

20% predict the season will begin in October or November and will include only conference play. 41% predict the same timeframe (Oct. or Nov.) for the season kickoff, but expect a full 12 game schedule. In total, 61% of the ADs predict the season won’t begin until October or November.

14% do not expect the season to begin until the spring semester in January or February.

“Given the medical and governmental leadership opinions, it is reasonable to believe some compromise to the start of the season lies ahead,” a Power Five AD told McMurphy.

To read the full story, click here….

Did former Georgia LB Davin Bellamy just get roasted by Popeyes?

Tuesday, former Georgia football and current Houston Texans LB Davin Bellamy got roasted by Popeyes on Twitter over the chicken sandwich.

Tuesday night, former Georgia linebacker and current Houston Texan Davin Bellamy tweeted his thoughts on the infamous Popeyes chicken sandwich. It was so popular last year that they actually ran out of them for months.

Apparently, the Popeye”s Twitter account wasn’t very fond of Bellamy’s opinion and tweeted back a “humble yourself”, which is a slogan Bellamy trademarked in 2017 following Georgia’s run at the national title.

On top of getting it from Popeyes, Bellamy also heard it from his former Georgia teammates like Keith Marshall and Justin Scott-Wesley.

 

NCAA approves new rule changes ahead of 2020 CFB season

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new rule changes for the 2020 college football season.

Tuesday, the NCAA released several new approved rules regarding targeting, instant reviews, jersey numbering, clock management and referee jurisdiction.

  1. Targeting

Players that are called for targeting will now be allowed to remain on the sidelines with their team. Previously, players that were called for targeting were required to spend the rest of the game in the locker room.

2. Instant Review

Pace of play has been a recent point of concern for the NCAA. As the aspect of video review expands every year, the average pace of play increases and now games approach the four-hour mark more often. To combat the increased game times, the NCAA approved a rule that limits reviews that are not “end of game reviews” and reviews that are “exceedingly complicated” to two minutes.

3. Jersey Numbers

Players are now allowed to wear the same numbers, regardless of position, as long as they are not on the field at the same time. Additionally, the number “0” is now allowed.

4. Clock Management

In previous years, if officials believed there was time remaining at the end of the game, the play could be reviewed and if video proved there was any time remaining, referees held the power to put that amount of time back on the clock. Now, if review proves there was time remaining on the clock, it has to be at least three seconds or the game is over.

5. Referee Jurisdiction

In 2020, referees will hold control over the games 90 minutes before kickoff. In previous years, officials held control of the game 60 minutes before kickoff. The NCAA hopes that the extra time will limit the negative interactions between teams during warm-ups.

College Football News Updates Bowl Projections, Notre Dame is Peachy

In their post-spring bowl projections, CFN has Notre Dame going somewhere they’ve never been before.

Although the season is seemingly up in the air, that didn’t stop College Football News from releasing their post-spring updated bowl projections. With the Irish ranked inside the Top 10 in the majority of preseason projected polls, the expectations for the upcoming season are sky high.

At the current moment CFN has Notre Dame facing off against Florida in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Yes, a bit disappointing because it is not a Final 4 spot in the College Football Playoff, those went to Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia, but a New Year’s 6 contest none the less.

The Peach Bowl would be a new destination for the Irish, as they have never participated in this bowl game in their long history. The At-Large spot means that Notre Dame had a successful season, but at least one hiccup along the way, a possibility of two. Even if it is two games that Brian Kelly’s 2020 team would lose, a Top 10 ranking should come with the At-Large selection.

It may seem like a frustrating season, but only one team wins the National Championship every year, only 4 teams have a shot at distinction, and making a New Years 6 Bowl game should be viewed as a successful year. Making a trip to Atlanta and playing on New Years Day, would be a great way to end another productive season in South Bend.

Look: Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift the Captain America of NFL Draft

ESPN labeled Georgia football star running back D’Andre Swift as Captain America of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Georgia star running back D’andre Swift got some love from Marvel today when ESPN released a promotion of 2020 NFL Draft prospects as Marvel characters on Twitter.

The promotion also features Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts as Thor, Clemson safety Isaiah Simmons as Black Panther and Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown as Iron Man.

How Swift was chosen to be the esteemed Captain America is anyone’s best guess, but I like to think it’s because Swift is the most versatile running back in this year’s draft class.

In Swift’s three years at Georgia, he ran for 2,885 yards with 6.6 yards per carry and 20 touchdowns and he wasn’t done there…

The Philadelphia native added another 666 yards and five touchdowns as a pass catcher. And that’s while sharing carries as a freshman with now NFL running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.  

Not to mention the poor offensive play calling that limited Swift’s numbers as a receiver.

 

Swift will look to join the long line of Georgia NFL running backs this Thursday.

Mock drafts have Swift being selected anywhere from the top 15 picks in the first round to the beginning of the second round and there is some speculation that Swift –  Captain America – may be headed to Tampa Bay to be paired with the legendary Tom Brady. 

How will Todd Monken’s air raid offense translate to Georgia football?

New Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken takes over a talented UGA offense with air-raid scheme.

After a pedestrian year from the Georgia Bulldogs on offense in 2019, Kirby Smart wasted no time making scheme changes, bringing in Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns to take over for James Coley as offensive coordinator and play caller.

Monken has coached all over the football landscape, including 23 years of college coaching experience and eight years coaching in the NFL.

Most recently, Monken spent a season as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and before that, three seasons as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2011-2012, Monken coached Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and the air-raid Cowboys offense to record breaking seasons, averaging well over 500 yards a game.

So, how does Monken’s air-rade scheme fit with a Georgia team built for defense and a power run game?

In 2019, the Bulldogs struggled with the deep passing game and the blame can’t be all on Coley, as Jake Fromm had issues with his deep ball and other than George Pickens, receivers either struggled with injuries, getting separation from defenders or dropped passes.

In 2020, there will be no shortage of depth or talent on the Georgia offense and in the light of recent off-season moves, it seems Kirby is planning to be more aggressive offensively.

The Bulldogs bring in a great arm in Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, paired with returning receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock and added five receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.

Georgia will have the ability to stretch the field on anyone and that is exactly what Monken’s offenses do. Still, the traditional Georgia run game can only benefit from the space the air-raid creates.

As Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator in 2019, Monken led an offense that saw former Georgia great Nick Chubb run for nearly 1,500 yards, so we can expect that running backs Zamir White and James Cook will get their fair share of touches in 2020.

Bulldog fans should be excited to see what 2020 will bring for this young team. In Monken’s system, expect to see much more complex route trees than in previous years, as well as a more aggressive approach to offensive strategy because of the security blanket that is the Georgia defense.

Are Jamie Newman and George Pickens the next Matt Stafford and AJ Green for UGA?

Comparing Georgia football’s Jamie Newman and George Pickens to former UGA stars Matthew Stafford and A.J. Green.

Among all the doubt and speculations surrounding the 2020 college football season, there are still some exciting things Georgia football fans have to look forward to.

One of those things is the Jamie Newman to George Pickens connection.

Last season, Pickens put college football on notice as a true freshman…

In 2019, Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and eight touchdowns, which included a dominating performance in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor where he caught 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

PFF (Pro Football Focus) rated Pickens as the best true-freshman receiver in the country. Keep in mind that was in a run-dominated offense which included quarterback Jake Fromm’s pedestrian deep ball.

Enter Jamie Newman..

According to PFF, Newman, a transfer from Wake Forrest, graded as the third best quarterback in the country last season. Newman was second behind Heisman winner Joe Burrow in throws into tight windows and throws beyond 20 yards.

The combination of Newman’s accurate deep-ball with Pickens’ hands and catch-radius is going to be a scary situation for opposing defenses in 2020.

The duo reminds me of a couple of Bulldog greats, Matthew Stafford and A.J. Green.

Back in 2008, the Stafford to Green combo was one of the best in the country.

As a freshman, Green caught 56 passes for 963 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to SEC-Freshman of the Year honors and Stafford went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Yes, the bar is set a bit high and maybe Newman to Pickens won’t be as dominant as Stafford to Green.

However, with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s passing game don’t be surprised if the duo has a record year for the Bulldogs offense.

CFN Podcast: Will There Be A 2020 College Football Season? How Can This Happen?

Will there be a 2020 college football season? In this global pandemic, is it even possible, and what are the main barriers?

Will there be a 2020 college football season? In this global pandemic, is it even possible, and what are the barriers to putting some sort of a product on the field?

CFN Podcast: Will There Be A 2020 College Football Season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

With the hopefully obvious caveat that there are FAR more important issues and concerns to figure out than whether or not a sport can be played …

Will there be a 2020 college football season?

It’s the only question in college athletics right now, because the life of athletic departments depends on whether or not there are football games and if there are fans in the stands.

How can this possibly happen? What are the big barriers unique to college football compared to other sports?

Before diving into the fun and silly stuff around a college football season in future podcasts, check out the latest CFN Podcast as I dive into the basic questions and issues about the one big thing that matters in the college football world.

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For any ideas on what you’d like to hear on future podcasts, hit me up @PeteFiutak.

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