Tag: South Carolina Football

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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4-star DT and Georgia recruiting target sets new commitment date

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, a Georgia football recruiting target, set a new commitment date.

Last week, 2021 four-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Prior to revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5-inch, 298-pounder tweeted that he would announce his decision on Sunday, May 17.

Shortly after, he decided he needed some more time to make this life-changing decision.

Ingram-Dawkins now has a new commitment date of June 26, which is his birthday.

“I’m committing June 26th, on my birthday,” Ingram-Dawkins said on Instagram Live.

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

Per the composite rankings, he is considered the nation’s 408th overall player.

Per 247Sports, South Carolina is viewed as the leader for Ingram-Dawkins, with Georgia close behind.

But Ingram-Dawkins said he does not pay much attention to the crystal ball on his 247Sports player profile.

The crystal ball is their way of  projecting where a recruit will land by having  a few recruiting analysts make predictions for specific players.

Georgia offered him in January and got him on campus in early-March.

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Georgia recruiting target JJ Jones moves up decision date

JJ Jones, a Georgia football recruiting target, has moved up his decision date.

Earlier in May, 2021 four-star wide receiver JJ Jones announced his top five schools on Twitter.

North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Georgia made the cut for the Myrtle Beach High School prospect.

He had planned to announce his final decision on his birthday, August 5, but tweeted on Wednesday night that he will now be committing sometime next week.

Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Jones ranks as the nation’s 68 wide receiver, No. 3 player in South Carolina and No. 417 overall player in America.

Right now, 247Sports sees North Carolina as the favorite to land Jones, with South Carolina in second place.

In 2019, as a junior, Jones caught 45 passes for 707 yards and 15 touchdowns while being named to the All-Region team and third-team All State.

 

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins delays commitment: Considering UGA, Vols, FSU, more

4-star DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has delayed his decision. He is considering Georgia football, South Carolina, UNC, Penn State, FSU and Vols.

On Monday, 2021 4-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins released a top-six of Georgia, North Carolina, Florida State, South Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee.

Shortly before revealing his final group, the 6-foot-5, 298 pounder announced that he would be announcing his decision on Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.

However, one day later, Ingram-Dawkins made a tweet saying that he’s decided to give his commitment “a little more thought.”

“I’ve decided to give my commitment a little more thought before making it on Sunday!!,” he said in a Tweet. “This is a life-changing decision that is very important to me!!”

247Sports has Ingram-Dawkins as the nation’s No. 17 ranked defensive tackle and as the top player in the state of South Carolina.

According to SportsTalkSC, Ingram-Dawkins will wait roughly 2-3 weeks.

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2020 Georgia football schedule with predictions

A look at the 2020 Georgia football schedule with game-by-game predictions.

Here we take a look at Georgia’s 2020 football schedule with game-by-game predictions.

Georgia’s offense will look very different, with the departures of Jake Fromm, D’Andre Swift, Lawrence Cager, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, Solomon Kindley and Cade Mays.

On the other hand, Georgia has recruited well to replace those guys, brought in Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, hired Todd Monken to run the offense and former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke to coach the offensive line.

On defense, expect more of the same. Physical, sound football with a ton of players rotating in to keep each other fresh.

The schedule is by no means easy. A road trip to Tuscaloosa, games against Auburn and Tennessee and the annual meeting against Florida in Jacksonville will all present challenges.

Below is our game-by-game predictions for how Georgia’s season will unfold.

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Georgia football offers scholarship to Taleeq Robbins

Thursday, DT Taleeq Robbins took to Twitter to announce a scholarship offer from Georgia football.

Georgia has extended a scholarship offer to defensive tackle Taleeq Robbins.

Robbins is a 2021 3-star DT out of Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia.

Thursday, Robbins announced Georgia’s scholarship offer on Twitter. The 6-foot-3, 300 pound recruit is ranked as the 18th best player in Pennsylvania and the No. 41 DT in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Robbins holds 32 offers from schools like Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Michigan, South Carolina and now Georgia.

As a junior in 2019, Robbins recorded 40 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks, with one fumble recovery.

At this time, 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions lists Texas A&M as the favorite to land Robbins, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart can never be counted out, especially with defensive recruits.

 

 

College Football News Preview 2020: South Carolina Gamecocks

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, looking ahead to the South Carolina Gamecocks season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the South Carolina Gamecocks season with what you need to know.

CFN in 60 Podcast: 2020 South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina preview in 60 seconds

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– South Carolina Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 4-8 overall, 3-5 in SEC
Head Coach: Will Muschamp, 5th year, 26-25
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 58
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 70
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 16

NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: South Carolina Gamecocks Offense 3 Things To Know

– The offense just didn’t work. How painful was it? The O failed to score more than 27 points against anyone but Charleston Southern, and it closed out the year scoring a grand total of 24 points in the final three games.

The passing game tried, but nothing was happening down the field on a consistent basis – the Gamecocks were fourth-worst in the nation in yards per completion – and moving the chains on third downs was like pulling teeth at times.

In comes new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo – the former Colorado State head coach who should be able to get the passing game going.

CFN in 60 Video: South Carolina Gamecocks Preview
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– It all starts with getting more out of sophomore QB Ryan Hilinski. He’s a big, talented passer who threw for 2,357 yards and 11 touchdowns with five picks after taking over the gig, and he’s got the talent to be fantastic with a little more time to work.

Former Colorado State Ram bomber Collin Hill is coming in as a grad transfer, but he’s coming off a knee injury and he’s mainly going to be used as the reliable backup option with former starter Jake Bentley transferring to Utah.

The quarterbacks will be missing now-Las Vegas Raider Bryan Edwards, who led the team with 71 catches last season. Senior Shi Smith should be the main man now after finishing second on the team with 43 grabs, but he’s not the big, physical target Edwards was. The corps doesn’t have a whole lot established after Smith, but junior Josh Vann will get a long look at playing a bigger role after making 19 grabs.

– The running game had its moments, but when it was off, it was really not working. The Gamecocks were held to under 80 yards on the ground five times – and lost all five – but here comes MarShawn Lloyd. No pressure Mr. Five-Star, but go out there as a true freshman and become a superstar right right away. With the top three backs from last year done, it’s the 5-9, 212-pound Lloyd’s backfield to take over.

The line had its struggles, but it was okay at limiting the plays behind the line – for the most part. The tackles are solid around 310-pound veteran tackle Dylan Wonnum. The interior is going to be a wee bit tricky until the practices get going and the job battles start. It’s a versatile group – again, to be nice – with decent size. It really will be a Five Best Guys thing – at least three best guys on the inside.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: South Carolina Gamecocks Defense 3 Things To Know

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CFN in 60: South Carolina 2020 Preview

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the South Carolina season with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the South Carolina season with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

CFN in 60: South Carolina 2020 Preview

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the South Carolina season with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the South Carolina season with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp recall hilarious old Nick Saban story

UGA football HC Kirby Smart & South Carolina Gamecocks HC Will Muschamp recalled a hilarious story of Alabama HC Nick Saban from LSU days.

Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp are two of the SEC’s brightest head coaches, and similar to a number of college football’s coaches, they both learned from the best, Nick Saban.

The two coaches previously spent time together as teammates in Athens and coaches at Valdosta State and then LSU, where they coached under Saban.

From 2000-04, Saban was head coach of the LSU Tigers. Muschamp was his linebackers coach in 2001 and defensive coordinator from 2002-04. Smart, who is four years younger than Muschamp, was with Saban for one season at LSU, coaching the defensive backs in 2004 before spending a year as running backs coach in Athens in 2005. After his year at Georgia, Smart would spend the next decade coaching under Saban, starting with the Miami Dolphins and then the Alabama job.

While being interviewed by CBS Sports this week, both Smart and Muschamp recalled a hilarious story displaying Saban’s lack of tech skills.

You’re going to love this one:

The Gamecocks’ head man provided a young Smart with key leadership skills in their lone season as Bulldog teammates. Muschamp later hired Smart as a defensive backs coach for Valdosta State, where the two extended a previous friendship.

Now, as both men are set to embark on their fifth seasons as head coaches of two SEC programs, they can only reflect on where they have come from.