Tag: SEC football

Georgia great, Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift tabbed as instant impact rookie

Former Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift, now with the Detroit Lions, tabbed as an instant-impact NFL rookie.

USA TODAY has released its list of the 20 NFL rookies who could make instant impacts in the 2020 NFL season. Among those listed is former Georgia star D’Andre Swift, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in this year’s NFL Draft.

Swift checked in at No. 7 on the list.

Via USA TODAY :

“Detroit Lions RB D’Andre Swift (second round / 35th overall): Since Barry Sanders retired in 1999, this team has enjoyed four 1,000-yard rushing seasons from three players, none since 2013. Swift totaled nearly 2,300 yards on the ground over his final two season at Georgia and has the tools to supplant oft-injured Kerryon Johnson, perhaps on an every-down basis.”

Also on the list was former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who went undrafted and was signed by the Colts. He checked in at No. 20.

We touched on that here. 

It looks as if Swift landed in a good spot in Detroit. He has former Georgia passer Matthew Stafford under center, one of the most prolific passers in the NFL, and will be competing for the starting job with former Auburn Tiger Kerryon Johnson, who is entering his third year and has had a hard time staying healthy.

Last week, Stafford, Swift, and former Bulldog, Lions tight end Isaac Nauta were seen working out together. Rumors surfaced that Swift was the favorite to win the starting running back job over Johnson, but the former Auburn back was quick to fire back at the critics who assumed he wasn’t staying in shape.

As the NFL begins to reopen its team facilities, we should get a better look at both Johnson and Swift as teams begin to practice for the 2020 season. Regardless on who is tabbed as the starter come September, Swift will see plenty of touches, especially through the air from that infamous Stafford side-arm.

Georgia football: 5-star CB signee Kelee Ringo training with NFL’s best

 On Saturday, Georgia football CB signee Kelee Ringo trained with 49ers CB Richard Sherman and Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf. 

Perhaps the most notable prospect from Georgia’s 2020 No. 1 recruiting class is cornerback Kelee Ringo out of Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Ringo (6-2, 205) was rated as the No. 1 CB, No. 1 player in Arizona and the No. 4 player in the country in 2020. In his senior season, Ringo had 31 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 INTs, and even scored 13 touchdowns on offense.

On Saturday Ringo put his young talent to the test against some of the best players in the NFL in a training session with 49ers CB Richard Sherman, WR Josh Gordon and Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf.

We can only imagine how much information Sherman, Gordon and Metcalf were able to pass on to the young CB. If Ringo was able to cover Gordon and Metcalf, he should have no problem with SEC receivers. Other than maybe George Pickens in practice.

With Ringo’s combination of size, speed and a knack for the ball, he could possibly be one of the best Georgia defensive backs ever.

Ranking SEC head coaches heading into 2020 CFB season

We ranked all the SEC head coaches, from Georgia football’s Kirby Smart, to Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, to Florida’s Dan Mullen.

The SEC is loaded with head coaching talent as we head into the 2020 college football season.

You have your usuals – Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Gus Malzahn, Ed Orgeron, etc.

But then you have your familiar, or in some cases not-so-familiar, yet new faces: Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach, Sam Pittman, Eli Drinkwitz.

Ranking the SEC head coaches heading into the 2020 season is as hard as it’s ever been, and that’s because of all these new hirings. But it’s also because Jeremy Pruitt waited until October to start winning games in Tennessee last year. It’s because Ed Orgeron took a loaded roster and won a national title. Because Gus Malzahn and Auburn always have the talent but can’t seem to win the big ones. Or because, despite a 4-8 season, Will Muschamp was able to knock off Kirby Smart and Georgia.

Related: 2020 Georgia schedule with game-by-game score predictions

With all of this taken into consideration, here’s our SEC head coaching power rankings for the 2020 college football season:

14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

I would have loved to get Pittman into a higher spot on this list, but what is there to go off of? His last head coaching job came in 1992 and 1993 when he led Hutchinson Community College to an 11–9–1 record over two seasons.

I am 100% rooting for Pittman to succeed in his first season as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. It won’t be easy, and this is a team that will likely finish with at least five losses for the first few years, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing as long as they play hard.

Arkansas may not field the most talented teams in the SEC, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of it’s that the former UGA O-Line coach will make sure his guys fight harder than anybody.

13. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri

Drinkwitz gets the No. 13 spot because of what he was able to do at App State last year. In his first season as a head coach, he led the Mountaineers to a 12-1 record and a Sun Belt championship.

But that’s not the SEC. It’s going to be a rocky road ahead for Drinkwitz, as Mizzou will definitely not be one of the more talented teams in the league for a few years.

12. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt

I often find myself rooting for Vanderbilt and Mason.

He took over at Vandy when James Franklin left for Penn State, and though it’s been tough at times, you get the feeling that Commodore fans actually look forward to their seasons.

11. Will Muschamp, South Carolina

If Muschamp had not beaten Georgia last year, he maybe would not even be on this list at all.

But he won and that probably saved his job. He coaches up a good defense, but South Carolina will need to crank up its recruiting efforts if it wants to start contending in the SEC East. Another season with no bowl game may put an end to Muschamp’s head coaching career with the Gamecocks.

10. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Kiffin is a good football coach, there’s no denying that. No. 10 is pretty low for an offensive genius like him. But this conference is simply loaded.

Kiffin did a great job at Florida Atlantic, but I still need to see him win consistently at a Power 5 school.

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Report: NCAA to allow voluntary football, basketball workouts

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA voted Wednesday to allow athletes back on campus. Dates and details here

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA voted Wednesday to allow athletes back on campus starting June 1 for voluntary football and basketball workouts.

Thamel wrote:

“An NCAA vote Wednesday cleared the return of student-athletes to campus in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball on June 1 through June 30, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.”

The decision ends the COVID-19 lock-down on athletic activities on campuses through May 31 and is, though just a small step towards normalcy, great news for sports fans and athletes around the country.

Sources reportedly told Yahoo Sports that the Division 1 council will vote on other sports besides football and basketball as soon as possible.

As far as testing procedures, it will be up to the individual school’s and state’s procedures and guidelines, according to Yahoo Sports’ sources.

“It will be up to the schools and political decision-makers to develop protocols on the tests, which cost approximately $100 each,” Thamel added. ““No one wants to get into that,” said a source. “They want to leave it to your own campus and state.””

The 2020 college football season is set to begin August 29 and Georgia football is scheduled to start its season in Atlanta versus Virginia on Sept. 7. What that will look like remains to be known. Last week, NCAA President Mark Emmert said:

“All of the commissioners and every president that I’ve talked to is in clear agreement: If you don’t have students on campus, you don’t have student-athletes on campus. That doesn’t mean [the school] has to be up and running in the full normal model, but you have to treat the health and well-being of the athletes at least as much as the regular students. … If a school doesn’t reopen, then they’re not going to be playing sports. It’s really that simple.”

If the season does go on, most likely there will be a very limited number of people involved and judging by Emmert’s comments and the NBA’s reported plan of resuming their season without fans, we could also see a start to the football season without people in attendance.

REPORT: NCAA allows resumption of voluntary team activities on June 1

According to a source that spoke with USA Today Sports who requested anonymity, the NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday voted to allow athletes in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball to resume voluntary on-campus workouts, beginning …

According to a source that spoke with USA Today Sports who requested anonymity, the NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday voted to allow athletes in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball to resume voluntary on-campus workouts, beginning June 1.

Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide team members huddle during the first quarter against the Clemson Tigers in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Raymond James Stadium. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

This is HUGE news for sports fans who were hoping to see sports back in action. It’s also a big sigh of relief for college football fans who weren’t sure what the season would hold. Although the NCAA has not yet made an official announcement, this at least provides some hope for sports fans.

The vote to resume on-campus team activities lifts a prohibition that has been in place since March, when the coronavirus began to take the United States by storm resulting in the cancellation of the SEC/NCAA tournaments as well as spring sports and spring semesters.

It’s important to note that regarding on a state’s mandatory rules in place, some Division I teams will be able to get started with team activities while others will not.

This is one reason why some reports have surfaced of the Alabama Crimson Tide being in talks with TCU about playing on September 5th since California’s coronavirus guidelines differ from Alabama.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you up to date on the very latest with this story, and regarding college football season.

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College Football Morning Announcements for May 20

Good morning and happy Wednesday. Miss recent college football headlines? Get caught up right here, right now!

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the midweek.  I know it’s been a few days since I’ve gotten one of these episodes of the podcast out – sometimes a leaky roof and flooded garage will cause things like that, though.

Subscribe to Nick Shepkowski’s CFB Morning Announcements on Apple Podcasts

In this edition of the College Football Morning Announcements:

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Notre Dame set to re-open for students but school president non-committal to football in the fall

A top linebacker makes his college choice as the rich get richer

An SEC dynasty just fired all of their coaches

And which teams are under the most pressure to win in 2020?

Georgia football: This George Pickens stat will get you excited about 2020

This stat about Georgia WR George Pickens will get you excited about the UGA football offense in 2020.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF) Georgia wide receiver George Pickens is the only returning receiver with 75 plus targets and zero drops in all of college football.

Pickens was a freshman phenom for the Bulldogs last year. In a run dominant offense, he caught 49 passes for 727 yards and 8 touchdowns, which earned him Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team honors.

A former 5-star recruit from Hoover, Alabama, in the 2019 recruiting class, Pickens was originally committed to the Auburn Tigers until flipping to the Bulldogs on signing day. He was tabbed as the No. 4 receiver in the country and the No. 1 player in Alabama, which helped make the 2019 Georgia class the No. 1 class in the country for the second year in a row.

The sky is the limit for Pickens in 2020. Georgia made two huge off-season moves for the Bulldogs’ passing game with the singing of Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, who is known for a great deep ball and the hiring of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, known for his air-raid passing attack.

DawgNation should be excited for what is to come for this young offense. Injuries and drops plagued the Georgia receiving group in 2019, but Pickens should have some more help around him in 2020. Sophomore receiver Dominick Blaylock looks to return from an ACL tear and Kirby Smart and staff added four 4-star receivers in this year’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class. Not to mention 5-star 2020 TE signee Darnell Washington (6-8, 261).

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Report: SEC presidents to vote on when players can return to campus

LSU executive said Thursday that the conference’s presidents and chancellors will vote whether to allow players to return to their campuses.

Per Brooks Kubena of The Advocate, LSU executive deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry said Thursday that the conference’s presidents will vote whether players will be able to return to campus on either June 1 or June 15.

The vote could take place as soon as next week.

From Kubena:

Ausberry, told the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force that the athletic department is aiming to return its players to campus on June 1, something athletic director Scott Woodward had also said in the department’s virtual Coaches Caravan Wednesday night.

“The presidents are going to take a vote in the SEC,” Ausberry told the task force, a unit of private sector business leaders who advise lawmakers on the economy’s recovery amid the spread of coronavirus. “Do we come back? Do we bring the students back on June 1 or June 15?”

Per 247Sports, SEC administrator Herb Vincent said,

“We are in continuous conversations about athletics activities related to COVID-19 and will make decisions appropriately.”

As states begin to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s only a matter of time before athletes and coaches are allowed back on campuses. The question is, will football be played in the fall?

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said,

“For us to have our football season our universities have to re-engage in a normal operating pattern.”

For now, it looks like we should be hoping for schools to reopen completely before we can expect a football season, or at least that is what SEC officials have led us to believe so far.

Falcons OC says only question mark for Todd Gurley is durability

Atlanta Falcons OC Dirk Koetter talks about the concerns with former Georgia football star, new Falcons running back Todd Gurley.

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was pretty straight forward with the media about new running back Todd Gurley and his health concerns.

The 25-year-old sixth year pro is reportedly dealing with arthritis in his surgically repaired left knee.

Per ESPN‘s Vaughn McClure:

“He can still do it. It’s just a matter of how often can he do it,” Koetter said.

After being released by the L.A. Rams, Gurley returned to Georgia to sign a one-year $5.5 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. The former Georgia football star was drafted by the Rams in 2015 NFL Draft and in his five seasons Gurley made three Pro Bowls while being named to the All-Pro team twice, in addition to winning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.

However, in 2019, Gurley’s knee issues surfaced and the Rams questioned his durability – ultimately leading to his release just two years after signing a four-year extension worth $45 million guaranteed.

“This guy, when he’s at his best, he’s got speed, he’s got power, he can break tackles, he’s elusive, he can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Koetter continued. “We’ve all seen what he can do. His accolades speak for themselves. We just have to see how healthy he is and how consistently he can do it.”

Gurley’s deal with the Falcons is still awaiting a physical and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons staff hasn’t been able to evaluate him just yet.

“I know from talking to Todd that he’s fired up to be coming back to Georgia. He can do everything. He’s an excellent runner. He’s good in the pass game. He can protect. The main question that no one seems to know is, ‘What’s his health status? What’s his workload?’ He averaged about 17 touches a game last year, which is a little bit lower than he had been when he was All-Pro. We’re just going to have to find that out once we get here and get him working, get him up and running.”

Former New York Giant Carl Banks defends Deandre Baker after rocky NFL start

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks said former Georgia football corner Deandre Baker is capable after mediocre rookie year.

Former New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks, now a Giants radio commentator and analyst, defended former Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker recently.

Banks said on Twitter that the Giants 2019 first-round pick is capable, but he has to show willingness to learn coming off a rough rookie year.

The former Georgia corner was a dominant defensive presence for the Bulldogs in his time in Athens. In 2018 at Georgia, Baker was a All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner. (given to the country’s top defensive back)

Baker’s performance at UGA hasn’t exactly translated to the NFL yet. In his first year, Baker had seven touchdowns scored against him where he was the closest defender on the field. A big contrast to his four years at Georgia where he only allowed one touchdown. However, after a rocky start to his rookie season, Baker picked it up and began playing like we knew he could.

Via the New York Post:

“To whom much is given much is expected,” Banks said. “If he wasn’t held accountable and he didn’t have a structure by which he should have been held accountable from play to play, series to series, then you can expect that.’’

With the Giants hire of new head coach Joe Judge from the Patriots, Baker should have plenty of opportunities to improve and prove himself as a first-round pick moving forward.