College Football Week – Preseason 1: The fun has begun

And then, and then, along came Meyer

Where oh where has the time gone. It’s been seven long months since the wild and crazy end to the 2017 season. And what a wild and crazy ending it was.

First, Alabama captured the national championship in a turn-around like we have never seen before. Trailing Georgia 13-0 at halftime, Nick Saban pulled quarterback Jalen Hurts from the game and started freshman Tua Tagovailoa in the second half. In a contest that I think most people thought Georgia was going to win, Tagovailoa not only rallied Alabama from the 13-0 halftime deficit, but also he rallied the Crimson Tide from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit. Alabama continued to rally, beating Georgia in a thrilling 26-23 (OT) game.

A few days later, Hugh Freeze, the former and defrocked Ole Miss coach, pulled a Jimmy Swaggart. In a public appearance at Liberty University, the crying Freeze apologized for his “female escort service” sins.  Meanwhile, former LSU coach Les Miles must have been scratching his head, thinking what in the world was I doing teaming up with Freeze to get the Arizona job. Miles, in his second season trying to land a head coaching job, applied for the Arizona opening, promising to bring along Hugh Freeze as the offensive coordinator. His strategy failed. Kevin Sumlin got the job.

And so the 2017 season came to an end.   

By the way, Rockledge Gator is infatuated with Will Grier’s wife, Jeanne.

The offseason, especially this summer, had been an extremely quiet one for the college football scene. No outbursts. No scandals. No titillating stories.

And then, and then, and then along came Meyer.

Yes, along came Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to make the offseason interesting. At the Big Ten Media Days in July, Meyer, responding to a question, said he had no knowledge of the domestic violence allegations against former Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith, who Meyer had recently fired.

Enter college football writer Brett McMurphy who wrote that Meyer not only knew of the allegations in 2015 at Ohio State, but also knew of the 2009 allegations against Smith at Florida, where he was also coaching under Myer. In other words, McMurphy said Myer lied.

Ohio State placed Meyer on administrative paid leave and said a committee would be formed to investigate the situation and decide on Meyer’s outcome. Meyer subsequently released a statement, which was probably written by his lawyer, admitting that he knew about the allegations and that he followed the proper protocols and procedures at both Florida and Ohio State. In other words, Meyer threw his current boss, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and his former boss former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley under the bus.

About a hundred or so Ohio State fans rallied in Meyer’s defense outside of Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Talk about irony, the rally was led by Stacy Smith. Stacy Smith is the father of former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Smith, who was suspended from playing in the first six games in the NFL last season for violence against women. Ezekiel is a running back for the Dallas Cowboys.

Recently, “Meyergate” spread to the University of Florida and the University of Texas. When asked if Meyer told him about the allegations against Smith in 2009, former Florida athletic director and current AD emeritus Jeremy Foley responded, “No comment.”

Then a sportswriter and Ohio State grad wrote that Brett McMurphy got the tip about the Urban Meyer scandal from Texas coach Tom Herman. Herman was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State under Meyer from 2012 to 2014. Not only does Herman deny communicating with McMurphy, but also McMurphy says that Herman is absolutely not his source.

I find it interesting in all of this hoopla that not one coach has come forward to support Meyer – not one fellow Big Ten coach, not one former assistant coach, not even Tim Tebow. When asked about “Meyergate,” Florida coach and former Meyer assistant Dan Mullen hopped, skipped, jumped and danced around the question. He was very evasive.

Meanwhile, the question remains: Will Urban Meyer retain his job or be fired? Maybe what Urban needs to do is go on television like Tammy Faye Baker and Paula Deen and cry. Then his scarlet and gray mascara can run down his face. That might get him some sympathy. Then again, that really didn’t work for Tammy Faye and Paula.

Talk about crying, how about Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts? Hurts is really hurting. He’s not feeling any love at Alabama. That’s for sure. He says he is being ignored. The coaches aren’t giving him any attention. Does anybody have any Crimson mascara?

Now, in addition to “Meyergate” we’ve got “Terpgate.” Yeah, it seems the coaching staff at Maryland has been running a toxic program. Head coach D.J. Durkin and his assistants are accused of being verbally and physically abusive to the players.  

In June, Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair died of heatstroke after practice. Recently, Durkin and some of his assistants were placed on administrative leave. That sounds familiar. McNair’s attorney wants Durkin fired. And yeah, wouldn’t you know it. There is an Urban Meyer and Florida connection to this too. Durkin was the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Florida from 2010 to 2014 under Meyer and Will Muschamp. He became the interim coach at Florida in 2014 after Muschamp was let go. 

Florida coach Dan Mullen has dismissed highly touted freshman wide receiver Justin Watkins from the team. It seems that Watkins went to the Zach Smith School of Charm, graduating magna cum laude.

Scott Boras, the agent for Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, says Murray, a junior, won’t play football after this season. In June, Murray was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Athletics. Murray is still battling Austin Kendall for starting position at OU.

Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight transferred to UCLA over the summer for his final season, playing as a graduate transfer. But Speight has some stiff competition for the starting position at UCLA. And speaking of Michigan, during the offseason Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh added former Florida coach Jim McElwain to the Wolverines’ staff as the wide receivers coach.

Did I tell you that Rockledge Gator is enamored with Will Grier’s wife, Jeanne?

The SEC lost three legends during the offseason – Billy Cannon, John Ward and Billy Kinard.

Former LSU running back Billy Cannon passed away on May 18 at age 80. Cannon won the Heisman Trophy in 1959. In a game against Ole Miss, with LSU trailing the Rebels, 3-0, with 10 minutes to go in the game, Cannon caught a punt return on his own 11-yard line. He ran 89 yards for a touchdown, breaking seven tackles along the way. LSU won 7-3. That was his Heisman winning play.

Then, John Ward, the legendary “Voice of the Vols” – the Tennessee Volunteers, died on June 20. He was 88. “It’s football time in Tennessee,” and “Give him six,” were his signature lines. Ward broadcast the Vols from 1965 (first with basketball, then also with football in 1968) until 1999. He had both a B.A. and a Law degree from Tennessee.

And finally, former Ole Miss player and coach Billy Kinard passed away on June 30. He was 84. Kinard was a defensive back and halfback in the 1950s playing under Johnny Vaught. The Rebels won the SEC championship in 1954 and 1955 and played in two Sugar Bowls and one Cotton Bowl. Kinard became the head coach in 1971 when Vaught retired after the 1970 season. Vaught returned from retirement at the start of the 1973 season replacing Kinard. Billy Kinard also played baseball at Ole Miss. He had three older brothers who played football for the Rebels.

Additionally, Darryl Rogers who coached Michigan State from 1976 to 1979 died on July 11. He was 83. Rogers coached the Spartans to a share of the Big Ten title in 1978. Rogers was a wide receiver and defensive back at Fresno State in college. He became Fresno State’s coach in 1966. He also coached San Jose State from 1973 to 1975.  

While we’re on the subject of coaches, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder signed a new five-year deal with the Wildcats that takes him through the 2022 season. Snyder, 78, will be 83 at the end of the deal. Snyder turns 79 in October. He is the oldest active FBS coach. Ohio’s Frank Solich, who turns 74 in September, is the second oldest. The oldest coach to win a national championship was Bobby Bowden at Florida State in 1999 when Bowden was 70.

And although Bill Snyder isn’t one of them, I recently learned, while doing research for this blog, there are five FBS coaches who never played college football. They are Chad Morris (Arkansas), Sonny Dykes (SMU), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech), David Cutcliffe (Duke) and Mike Leach (Washington State). Morris graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in mathematics and statistics. Dykes graduated from Texas Tech where he played baseball. Johnson has a B.A. from Western Carolina and a Masters from Appalachian State. Cutcliffe graduated from Alabama, and Leach graduated from BYU and has a Law degree from Pepperdine.

Back in February, Rockledge Gator and I got together with two old friends – Brian Smith and Steve Moon. Brian lives in Nebraska and is a big Husker fan. Steve, a graduate of Arizona State, lives in Dallas. The four of us met at Norman’s in Cocoa, Florida, and kibitzed over several beers. It was a good time.

Bootsie and Swamp Mama have established their eye candy for the season. Bootsie’s eye sugar is Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham. As usual Swamp Mama couldn’t decide on just one. She has two eye candies – Missouri quarterback Drew Lock and South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley.

And did I mention that Rockledge Gator’s eye candy is Will Grier’s wife, Jeanne?

Touchdown Tom

August 13, 2018
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S. CFW lost a good friend this past winter with the passing of Patti Farr Maggiore of Punta Gorda, Florida, on January 15, 2018. Patti was a devout reader of CFW, a devout fan of the Florida Gators and a big fan of college football in general. Patti and Swamp Mama were lifelong friends, going back to their childhood in Punta Gorda. Patti leaves behind three daughters – Suzanne, Casey and Jamie – all graduates of the University of Florida, along with her loving husband Larry. Patti will be missed this football season.

Quotes of the Offseason

“I fear that the game will be pushed so far from what we know that we won’t recognize it 10 years from now. And if it does, our country will go down too. I think it would be the decline of our country,” North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora, at the ACC Media Days.

“I don’t think it’s been proven that the game of football causes CTE. We don’t really know that. Are there chances for concussions? Of course there are collisions. But the game is safer than it’s ever been,” North Carolina coach Larry Fedora, at the ACC Media Days.

“The SEC has, by a wide margin, the easiest path to the Playoff of any other conference,” Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt.

“The Big Ten has the best and deepest conference in the country,” Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt.

“There was nothing. I don’t know who creates a story like that,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, at the Big Ten media days on the Zach Smith spouse-assault accusations.

“When we are talking about arrogance, that seems to go hand in hand with Urban Meyer,” ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum.

“Urban Meyer is a fraud. All he had to do was the right thing,” ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum.

“As society has evolved, Urban Meyer hasn’t,” Andrea Adelson, ESPN staff writer.

“I think Saban should bench him. Make him the second-string quarterback. That’s what I think he should do. Let me be very, very clear. Jalen Hurts is not impressive,” ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, on the Alabama quarterback.

“There’s no end in sight to my career,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, at age 78.

“If he keeps his job, and I suspect he will, where does he go to get his reputation back,” ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum, on Urban Meyer.

Neither I, nor anybody in my family, has ever communicated with Brett McMurphy,” Texas coach Tom Herman, denying he tipped off McMurphy about Zach Smith.

“No comment,” former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, when asked if Urban Meyer informed him about Zach Smith back in 2009.

The Quarterbacks – 2018

If nothing else, 2018 should go down as the year of the quarterback in college football. Across the country, the position is loaded with solid, talented, experienced and exciting athletes.

Not only are there so many good quarterbacks, but also there are a ton of schools where the coach can’t decide who the starting quarterback should be. There is that much talent out there. In the SEC alone, it’s a toss up at no less than five schools – Alabama (between Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts), Florida (between Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones), Georgia (between Jake Fromm and Justin Fields), LSU (between Myles Brennan, Joe Burrow, Justin McMillan and Lowell Narcisse) and Texas A&M (between Kellen Mond and Nick Starkel).

Kelly Bryant led Clemson to the ACC title last year, but Bryant is struggling with Trevor Lawrence for the starting spot this season. Likewise at Florida State competition between James Blackman and Deondre Francois.

In the Big Ten, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has a decision to make between Shea Patterson, Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey. The story is similar at Nebraska, where new coach Scott Frost must decide between Tristan Gebbia, Adrian Martinez and Andrew Bunch. At Purdue, it’s a decision between David Blough and Elijah Sindelar.

At Oklahoma and Texas, it’s down to two – Kyler Murray and Austin Kendall for the Sooners, Sam Ehlinger and Shane Buechele for the Longhorns. But at UCLA and USC three candidates are still in the running at each school. Devon Modster, Wilton Speight and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are in the running at UCLA, while at USC it is between Matt Fink, Jack Sears and J.T. Daniels.

I guess coaches should be so lucky.  

The decision wasn’t tough at West Virginia, UCF and Auburn. According to the all the hype and hoopla in all the magazines, data sheets and Websites, the Mountaineers’ senior Will Grier is the No. 1 quarterback in the country at preseason.  Last year, Grier (6-2, 214) passed for 3,490 yards and 31 touchdowns in only 11 games. He was sidelined in WVU’s last two games with a broken finger. Grier averaged 317.3 yards per game, completing 64.4% of his passes. 

In the No. 2 spot behind Grier is UCF junior quarterback Milton McKenzie (5-11, 185). Last season, McKenzie led the Knights to a 13-0 record, including a 34-27 Peach Bowl victory over Auburn. He passed for 4,037 yards and 37 touchdowns, averaging 310.5 yards per game. Along the way, McKenzie completed 68.1% of his tosses.

The third most highly-touted quarterback at preseason is junior Jarrett Stidham (6-3, 214) of Auburn. In 2017, Stidham passed for 3,158 yards, completing 66.5% of his lobs. Three other quarterbacks getting lots of raves at preseason are Arizona junior Khalil Tate (6-2, 215), Alabama sophomore Tua Tagovailoa (6-1, 218) and Washington senior Jake Browning (6-2, 206).  

Tate is a bigger threat as a runner than he is as a passer. Last season the Arizona quarterback rushed for 912 yards, averaging 128.3 yards per game. But when he passed, Tate completed 62% of his passes.  Browning passed for 2,719 yards, completing 68.5% of his throws, leading Washington to a 10-3 season in 2017.

Tagovailoa spent most of last season sitting on the bench, backing up Jalen Hurts. But in the most important game of the season, with Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0 at halftime, Tagovailoa came off the bench to start the second half and lead the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 (OT) win over the Bulldogs for the national championship.

Three other top quarterbacks at preseason are Penn State’s Trace McSorley, Missouri’s Drew Lock and Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald. We’ll talk more about them later.

Looking around the country by conference, starting with the Power Five Conferences, NC State senior Ryan Finley (6-4, 210) is the leading quarterback in the ACC. Last year, Finley passed for 3,578 yards, averaging 270.6 yards per game. He completed 65.1% of his lobs.

Two other quality quarterbacks in the ACC are Miami senior Malik Rosier (6-1, 216) and Syracuse senior Eric Dungey (6-4, 228). In 2017, Rosier threw for 3,120 yards, but only completed 54% of his tosses. Dungey passed for 2,495 yards, averaging 277.2 yards per game. He completed 59.7% of his passes.

Rounding out the ACC are the Clemson duo senior Kelly Bryant (6-4, 220) and freshman Trevor Lawrence (6-5, 205), and Duke junior Daniel Jones (6-5, 215).

Penn State senior Trace McSorley (6-0, 198) is the top quarterback in the Big Ten. Last year, McSorley passed for 3,570 yards and 28 touchdowns, averaging 274.6 yards per game. He completed 66.5% of his passes.

Michigan State and Northwestern have two solid quarterbacks in junior Brian Lewerke (6-3, 215) and senior Clayton Thorson (6-4, 225) respectively. Last season, Lewerke threw for 2,793 yards, while Thorson passed for 2,844 yards. Two other steady quarterbacks in the Big Ten are Wisconsin junior Alex Hornibrook (6-4, 220) and Iowa junior Nate Stanley (6-4, 242). Meanwhile, Michigan, Nebraska and Purdue must make decisions.

In addition to West Virginia’s Will Grier, two other good quarterbacks in the Big 12 are Baylor sophomore Charlie Brewer (6-1, 202) and Iowa State senior Kyle Kempt (6-5, 210). In 2017, Brewer completed 68.1% of his throws, while Kempt completed 66.3% of his tosses. Then there’s the decisions to be made at Oklahoma and Texas.

The Pac-12 has several other good quarterbacks to go with Arizona’s Khalil Tate and Washington’s Jake Browning. Among them are Colorado junior Steven Montez (6-5, 230), Arizona Stater senior Manny Wilkins (6-2, 200) and Oregon junior Justin Herbert (6-6, 231). Last season, Montez threw for 2,975 yards and Wilkins passed for 3,270 yards. Herbert was an accurate passer, completing 67.5% of his tosses.

Two other good quarterbacks in the Pac-12 are California junior Ross Bowers (6-2, 190) and Utah junior Tyler Huntley (6-1, 200). Then we’ll see who surfaces at UCLA and USC.

The SEC is the most complete and solid conference at the quarterback position. Along with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham and the farm of candidates at Florida, LSU and Texas A&M, look out for Georgia sophomore Jake Fromm (6-2, 225), Missouri senior Drew Lock and Mississippi State senior Nick Fitzgerald.

Fromm, who still has to beat out freshman Justin Fields (6-3, 225), led the Bulldogs to a 13-2 record and the national championship game last season. Along the way, he passed for 2,615 yards, completing 62.2% of his passes. Lock was amazing in 2017, passing for 3,964 yards and 44 touchdowns. He averaged 304.9 yards per game, but only completed 57.8% of his lobs. Fitzgerald is the runner, rushing for 994 yards last season.

South Carolina is solid with junior Jake Brantley (6-4, 224), and Vanderbilt has a good quarterback in senior Kyle Shurmur (6-4, 227). Of course we can’t leave the SEC without mentioning Alabama junior Jalen Hurts (6-2, 218). After all, Hurts has led the Crimson Tide to a 26-2 record the past two seasons. 

Among the Group of Five Conferences, Milton McKenzie leads the way from the AAC. But the AAC, sometimes known as the Power Six, has four other outstanding quarterbacks. Two of them are from Navy – junior Malcolm Perry (5-9, 185) and senior Zach Abey (6-2, 212). Last season, Perry rushed for 1,182 yards, averaging 8.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Abey rushed for 1,413 yards, averaging 117.8 yards per game.

The other two good quarterbacks from the AAC are Cincinnati senior Hayden Moore (6-2, 215) and SMU junior Ben Hicks (6-1, 203). 

Conference-USA has an outstanding quarterback in North Texas junior Mason Fine (5-11, 180). Last year, Fine passed for 4,052 yards and 31 touchdowns, completing 63.4% of his throws. Fine averaged 289.4 yards per game.

Right behind Fine in C-USA, with plenty of potential is Middle Tennessee senior Brent Stockstill (6-0, 215). Two more quarterbacks who should create some fireworks in C-USA this season are Florida Atlantic junior DeAndre Johnson (6-2, 205) and Louisiana Tech junior J’Mar Smith (6-1, 230).

The best quarterback in the MAC is touted to be Ohio junior Nathan Rourke (6-2, 209). Miami senior Gus Ragland (6-1, 215) and Buffalo junior Tyree Jackson (6-7, 245) come in with impressive credentials.

In the MWC, three quarterbacks enter the season with high expectations, beginning with Boise Sate senior Brett Rypien (6-2, 203). Last year, Rypien led the Broncos to an 11-3 record, the MWC championship and a Las Vegas Bowl victory over Oregon. He passed for 2,877 yards, completing 62.6% of his passes.

The other two top quarterbacks in the MWC are Fresno State senior Marcus Maryion (6-2, 203) and Nevada senior Ty Gangi (6-2, 210). Maryion engineered the Bulldogs to a 10-4 season in 2017. He passed for 2,726 yards, completing 62.1% of his lobs. Gangi threw for 2,746 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 214.6 yards per game. He completed 61% of his tosses.

The Sun Belt Conference features one of the country’s most exciting quarterbacks. He is Arkansas State senior Justice Hansen (6-4, 218). Last year, Hansen passed for 3,967 yards and 37 touchdowns, averaging 330.6 yards per game. He completed 62.6% of his passes.

Another exciting quarterback in the Sun Belt is ULM junior Caleb Evans (6-2, 210). In 2017, Evans passed for 2,868 yards, completing 61.3% of his lobs.

Among the nation’s Independents, the best quarterbacks appear to be Notre Dame senior Brandon Wimbush (6-2, 225) and BYU senior Tanner Mangum (6-3, 215).

TT’s Top 10 Quarterbacks at Preseason:

1.       Will Grier – West Virginia

      2.       Trace McSorley – Penn State

3.       Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama

4.       Jarrett Stidham – Auburn

5.       Jake Fromm – Georgia

6.       Khalil Tate – Arizona

7.       McKenzie Milton – UCF

8.       Jake Browning – Washington

9.       Drew Lock – Missouri

10.   Nick Fitzgerald – Mississippi State 

And keep an eye on:

Ryan Finley – NC State; Brett Rypien – Boise State; Malcolm Perry – Navy; Malik Rosier – Miami (Florida); Alex Hornibrook – Wisconsin; Mason Fine – North Texas; Marcus McMaryion – Fresno State; Kyle Kempt – Iowa State, and Zach Abey – Navy.

Also, Clayton Thorson – Northwestern; Brent Stockstill – Middle Tennessee; Steven Montez – Colorado; Eric Dungey – Syracuse; Hayden Moore – Cincinnati; Jake Bentley – South Carolina; Jalen Hurts – Alabama; Justice Hanson – Arkansas State, and Tanner Mangum – BYU.

The New Coaches – 2018

No less than 21 schools will have new head coaches this season. Eleven of the 21 new coaches are in two conferences – the SEC (6) and Pac-12 (5). All but two conferences have at least one new head coach. Only the Big 12 and the MWC retain all of their head coaches from last season.

Of the six new coaches in the SEC, one – Matt Luke – was an interim coach last year hired to the full-time position at the end of the season. After leading Ole Miss to a 6-6 record in 2017, Luke, a former Ole Miss player, is now the real deal in Oxford. Some argue that Ole Miss took the easy approach in elevating Luke. But the school – in a mess of trouble with the NCAA – probably figured that a nationwide search for a new coach would be futile with the current situation.

The remaining five new coaches in the SEC are brand spanking new. Well, almost. Dan Mullen, the new coach at Florida isn’t exactly new to Gainesville. Mullen is a former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Gators under Urban Meyer. But now he is back. After a nine-year stint coaching Mississippi State, Mullen returns to The Swamp.

Losing Mullen, Mississippi State turned to the Big Ten to find its new coach. The Bulldogs hired Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. A former quarterback and head coach at Fordham, Moorhead is considered to be one of the best offensive minds in college football.

One of the more interesting hires in the offseason occurred at Texas A&M. The Aggies lured Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher away from Tallahassee. Fisher faces a challenging task in College Station, but if anybody can get the job done at Texas A&M, Fisher should be the man. In eight seasons coaching the Seminoles, Fisher was 83-23, with one national championship.

The new coach at Arkansas is Chad Morris. Morris is unique in FBS college football in that he is one of only five head coaches who never played football in college. Morris graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in mathematics and statistics. He comes to Arkansas from SMU where he was the head coach for three seasons. Prior to SMU, Morris was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Clemson for four seasons.

And finally in the SEC, Tennessee stayed in conference and hired Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt to be the Vols new coach. As a defensive coordinator, Pruitt has some pretty good credentials, having been the DC at Alabama (2016 to 2017), Georgia (2014 to 2015) and Florida State (2013). Now he has to prove himself as the HC in Knoxville.

Among the five new coaches in the Pac-12, two of the hires drew raves, while one raised some eyebrows. The first of the two raves was UCLA hiring Chip Kelly. Kelly first drew praise as the offensive coordinator at Oregon in 2007 and 2008. Then he went on to coach the Ducks for four seasons (2009 to 2012), achieving a 44-5 record, three Pac-12 titles and a Rose Bowl win. From Oregon, Kelly jumped to the NFL where he coached the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons and the San Francisco 49er’s for one season. His NFL record wasn’t so stellar. Kelly returns to the coaching ranks after sitting out a season. In college, Kelly played defensive back at New Hampshire.

The other exciting hire in the Pac-12 was at Arizona. The Wildcats hired former Houston and Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. Although he never had a losing record at Texas A&M, Sumlin was fired by the Aggies at the end of last season. As a head coach, Sumlin is 86-43 overall, in four seasons at Houston and six seasons at Texas A&M. In college, Sumlin played linebacker at Purdue.

The hire that raised some eyebrows occurred in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona State hired Herm Edwards. Who? Yes, Herm Edwards. The same Herm Edwards who went 56-78 in five seasons coaching the New York Jets and three seasons coaching the Kansas City Chiefs. The same Herm Edwards who hasn’t coached in 10 years. Oh well, maybe Edwards will be a surprise. He played college football at California and San Diego State, graduating from San Diego State.

The final two hires in the Pac-12 were sort of lackluster and both were in Oregon. In Eugene, the Ducks elevated their offensive coordinator – Mario Cristobal – to the head coach position. Cristobal was the head coach at Florida International for six seasons from 2007 to 2012. In college, he played offensive tackle for Miami (Florida).

Up the road from Eugene, in Corvallis, Oregon State hired Jonathan Smith to be the Beavers new coach. Smith was the offensive coordinator at Washington during the past four seasons. He is a former Oregon State quarterback.

Another big head-coach hire during the offseason was the only one in the Big Ten. Nebraska named favorite son Scott Frost as the new coach of the Huskers. The past two seasons, Frost was the head coach at UCF. He coached the Knights to a 13-0 record last year, including the AAC championship and a Peach Bowl win over Auburn. Prior to UCF, Frost was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Oregon from 2013 to 2015. In college, Frost quarterbacked Nebraska for two seasons, leading the Huskers to a 24-2 record and a national championship his senior year. Nebraska beat Peyton Manning’s Tennessee Volunteers 42-17 in the Orange Bowl to win the national title.

Among the Group of Five Conferences, the most new hires – three – occurred in the Sun Belt Conference. At Georgia Southern, the school’s wide receivers coach – Chad Lunsford – was named the new head coach. Lunsford is a native of Elberton, Georgia. South Alabama went into the FCS ranks and hired Central Arkansas coach Steve Campbell to be the Jaguars’ new coach. Campbell was the head coach of Division II Delta State from 1999 to 2001 and of Central Arkansas from 2014 to 2017. His overall record at the two schools is 59-23. Campbell is a native of Pensacola, Florida.

And finally in the Sun Belt, Louisiana hired Billy Napier as the Rajin’ Cajuns new coach. Napier comes to Lafayette from Arizona State where he was the offensive coordinator. Before Arizona State, Napier was Nick Saban’s wide receivers coach at Alabama from 2013 to 2016. In college, Napier played quarterback for Furman.

There are two new head coaches in the AAC this season. After losing Scott Frost to Nebraska, UCF hired Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel to be the Knights new coach. Prior to Missouri, Heupel was the offensive coordinator at Utah State (2015) and the OC/quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma (2006 to 2014). Playing quarterback at Oklahoma, Heupel led the Sooners to the BCS national championship in 2000.   

The other new coach in the AAC is Sonny Dykes at SMU. Dykes has a long career in college football. He was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Arizona (2007 to 2009), the head coach at Louisiana Tech (2010 to 2012) and the head coach at California (2013 to 2016). In college, Dykes played baseball for Texas Tech, where he graduated in 1993.

Conference USA has two new head coaches this season, both at Texas schools. They are Dana Dimel at UTEP and Mike Bloomgren at Rice. For the past nine seasons, Dimel has been the offensive coordinator at Kansas State. Prior to that, he was the head coach of Wyoming (1997 to 1999) and Houston (2000 to 2002). Dimel played college football at Kansas State.

A native of Tallahassee, Florida, Bloomgren graduated from Florida State in 1999. For the past five seasons, he has been the offensive coordinator at Stanford.

Last but not least, in the MAC, the lone new head coach is Sean Lewis at Kent State. The past two seasons, Lewis was the offensive coordinator at Syracuse. He played his college ball at Wisconsin, where he was a tight end.

As mentioned above, there are no new head coaches this season in the Big 12 and Mountain West Conferences. Of the 21 new coaches, 11 were existing head coaches who moved over or up to their new positions. Nine were offensive coordinators, while only one was a defensive coordinator and one was a wide receivers coach.  

Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2018

Last year, 15 coaches were fired during or at the end of the season. Don’t look for as many to be fired this year. It should be a quieter season when it comes to pink slips. That said, there are a handful of coaches who are definitely treading water – some in deeper water than others.

Among the Power Five Conferences, the conference that could potentially lose the most coaches is the ACC. No less than six coaches in the ACC are teetering – three more so than the others.

The three ACC coaches in definite danger are North Carolina’s Larry Fedora, Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall and Syracuse’s Dino Babers. Fedora, in his seventh season in Chapel Hill, started out strong, but has declined in recent seasons. At the ACC Media Days in July, he talked like his mind was declining too. Maybe that was a result of knowing you are on the way out. Fedora has a 43-34 record in six seasons at UNC.

The other two ACC coaches in danger have only been at their respective schools for two seasons. Mendenhall, who did wonders at BYU, has been a big disappointment at Virginia. His record is 8-17. Likewise, Babers was an outstanding coach at Bowling Green. But at Syracuse he is just 8-16.

Three other ACC coaches – Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson, Boston College’s Steve Addazio and Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi are in a so-so situation. All three need to have strong seasons in 2018 or it could be curtains. Lately, it seems like Johnson always enters the season on the hot seat. But with a 75-54 record in 10 seasons, he manages to hang on.

Addazio has produced a 31-33 record in five seasons at Boston College, while Narduzzi is 21-17 in three seasons at Pitt. Both need a boost this year.

The Big 12 has two coaches sitting on the hot seat. They are Kansas’ David Beaty and Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury. With a 3-33 record in three seasons, Beaty is definitely hurting, and it doesn’t appear there is any help on the way. Kingsbury, the favorite son at Texas Tech, hasn’t been the favorite lately. With a 30-33 record in five seasons, he barely hung on to his job last year.

In the Big Ten, three coaches are on shaky ground – very shaky. The shakiest of the three is Illinois coach Lovie Smith. With a 5-19 record in two seasons, let’s just say that Illinois fans aren’t exactly in love with Lovie.

With the latest charges of player abuse and a toxic culture at Maryland, D.J. Durkin may not make it through the season. Heck, he may not make it to the start of the season. Durkin is 10-15 after two seasons with the Terps. Also hurting in the Big Ten is Rutgers coach Chris Ash. Ash is 6-18 in two seasons with the Scarlet Knights.

With five new coaches this season in the Pac-12, there is not much room for anyone to be on the hot seat. However, that said, Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre is in trouble. MacIntyre got off to a rough start in Boulder. Then he turned it around two seasons ago, only to have the bottom fall out last year. MacIntyre is 25-38 in five seasons at Colorado.

Only one coach is truly on the hot seat in the SEC. That would be Vanderbilt’s Derek Mason. After James Franklin won at Vanderbilt, Mason was expected to do the same. He hasn’t. Mason is 18-31 in four seasons with Vandy.

Two other SEC coaches need to do well, perhaps very well, this season. They are Kentucky’s Mike Stoops and LSU’s Ed Orgeron. Granted, it’s tough being the football coach at Kentucky. Stoops is 26-36 after five seasons with the Wildcats. If nothing else, maybe a win over Florida will save Stoops. Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, Orgeron, kind of a favorite son, needs to make a strong showing in 2018. Orgeron is 15-6 in one-plus seasons at LSU.

Among the Group of Five Conferences, the AAC stands to lose three coaches in 2018. They are East Carolina’s Scottie Montgomery, Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery and Tulane’s Willie Fritz. Of the three, Fritz is the safest. He is 9-15 after two seasons with the Green Wave.

The two Montgomerys aren’t safe. East Carolina fans expect to have competitive football teams. In two seasons, Scottie’s East Carolina teams have been everything but competitive. His record is 6-18. The other Montgomery – Philip – looked good at first. But last year, Tulsa was a disaster. Philip is 18-20 in three seasons at Tulsa.

The only coach in trouble in Conference USA is Charlotte’s Brad Lambert. And he is really in trouble – big time. In five seasons, Lambert is 17-41 at Charlotte.

As usual, the Mid-American Conference has a few coaches with one foot in the bucket and the other foot on a banana peel. This year there are four such coaches in the MAC – two more so than the others.

The two in the biggest trouble are Bowling Green’s Mike Jinks and Ball State’s Mike Neu. They like to win at Bowling Green and Jinks isn’t. His record after two seasons is 6-18. Neu isn’t any better. After two years at Ball State, his record is also 6-18.

The other two who are mildly feeling pressure (warm seats) in the MAC are Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton and Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin. Creighton is sitting at 15-34, following four seasons at EMU. Martin is only one better at 16-33 in four seasons with Miami.

The Mountain West Conference escaped the firings last season. That means there could be a few this season – perhaps four. The coach on the hottest seat in the MWC is New Mexico’s Bob Davie. Davie not only suffers from a 30-45 record in six seasons, but also he was suspended for 30 days in the offseason while the athletic department conducted an investigation. It doesn’t look good for Davie.

Three other MWC coaches are dangling and need to show some promise this season. They are UNLV’s Tony Sanchez, Utah State’s Matt Wells and Hawaii’s Nick Rolovich. After three seasons, Sanchez is 12-24 in Las Vegas, and Rolovich is 10-16 after two years at Hawaii. Wells started off strong at Utah State, but he has slipped in recent seasons. After five years, Wells is 34-32 at Utah State.

One coach is truly on the hot seat in the Sun Belt Conference. That would be Texas State’s Everett Withers. Withers is a morbid 4-20 in two seasons with Texas State. One other coach in the Sun Belt needs to provide some excitement in 2018 – ULM’s Matt Viator. After two years at ULM, Viator is only 8-16.

Among the Independents, only one coach is in danger of losing his job. They expect to win at BYU and after two seasons, Kalani Sitake is sitting at 13-13. That doesn’t cut the mustard in Provo.

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1943 was “You’ll Never Know” by Dick Haymes and The Song Spinners

…70 years ago this week in 1948 was “You Call Everybody Darlin” by Al Trace and His Orchestra

…65 years ago this week in 1953 was “Vaya Con Dios (May God Be With You)” by Les Paul and Mary Ford, and “No Other Love” by Perry Como

…60 years ago this week in 1958 was “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson

…55 years ago this week in 1963 was “Fingertips Part 2” by Little Stevie Wonder

…50 years ago this week in 1968 was “Hello, I Love You” by The Doors

…45 years ago this week in 1973 was “The Morning After” by Maureen McGovern

…40 years ago this week in 1978 was “Three Times A Lady” by The Commodores

…35 years ago this week in 1983 was “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

…30 years ago this week in 1988 was “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood

…25 years ago this week in 1993 was “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by UB40

Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Stan Mikita, Lorrie Collins,

Stan Mikita, the Chicago Blackhawks’ undersized but smooth-skating and feisty center who teamed with his fellow Hall of Famer Bobby Hull, died last week. He was 78. Although he grew up in Canada, Mikita was a native of Czechoslovakia. He spent his entire 22-season NHL career with the Blackhawks. Stan Mikita was born Stanislav Gvoth on May 20, 1940, in Sokolice, a village in what is now Slovakia. In late 1948, his parents decided to have Mikita go live with his aunt and uncle in St. Catherines, Ontario. They eventually adopted him. Mikita retired from the Blackhawks after the 1979-80 season.

Lorrie Collins, who along with Wanda Jackson and Brenda Lee was one of the most dynamic female rockabilly stars of the 1950s, died last week at her home in Reno, Nevada. She was 76. Collins was the winner of talent contests in her native Oklahoma when she was eight. By the time she was 12, she was appearing on the stage with her brother Larry. They regularly appeared on the Jackie Gleason and Dinah Shore TV shows. Collins briefly dated Ricky Nelson and appeared in two episodes of “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” in 1958. Popular on TV, Collins and her brother were not popular with the country and pop radio DJs. The songs they recorded from 1955 to 1962, among them “Hop, Skip and Jump” and “Hoy Hoy,” did not get much air play. Their record label – Columbia Records – did little to promote them. Lawrencine May Collins was born on May 7, 1942, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her family moved to Long Beach, California in 1953. By 1958, she and her brother were touring with Johnny Cash. Collins all but retired from the music business in the mid-1960s.