Bleacher Report - Articles by cfb360 .com

Is Ty Willingham Racist?

cfb360 .com — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:46:00 -0400

(cfb360.com - NDNation.com)

When Tyrone Willingham publicly decried the lack of head coaching jobs for black Americans earlier this year, he made an irrefutable point: that something in the system is broken. Willingham further points to the good ol' boy network as a culprit, which would appear to have some validity in my opinion.

"You've got to explain the numbers,” said Willingham. “There's more than one answer. But it's alive and well in certain places, yes."

A little research shows that he should be pointing the finger in the mirror.

Willingham, together with enablers like John Saunders and Mark May, has done as much to hurt the cause of minority coaches as any other single person I can think of. I would argue that he’s created new minority roadblocks others must now overcome.

In some respects, Willingham closed far more doors than he opened...if he opened any to begin with.

Let me explain my beliefs and my frustrations. The stepping stone to a head coaching position is a coordinator position. Granted, Willingham skipped this step on his way to the head coaching position at Stanford, but being a coordinator is almost a prerequisite to the head coaching position (note that it certainly doesn’t guarantee success.)

Yet in his seven years at Notre Dame and Washington, Willingham has hired exactly zero minority coordinators.

Zero. That's remarkable for someone willing to throw the charge of racism on the table. Zero into the position that is the stepping stone to the head coaching chair.

In contrast, since Willingham left, Notre Dame has filled both of its coordinator positions with black coaches.

Now, I’m not saying that Corwin Brown or Mike Haywood were hired for their color, but their positions at Notre Dame will make them prime candidates to step into the head chair at another school. Yet IN SEVEN YEARS Willingham couldn’t find one minority worthy of being his second?

So who's racist? The school that hires a minority, or the head coach who hasn't hired one in seven years?

There would have been no better way to further the cause of minority coaches than by the notoriety gained by being a coordinator at Notre Dame. I don’t know what the minority pool looks like for Head Coaches, but theoretically you would think there has to be a bigger pool to choose from when hiring for a coordinator position.

Yet Tyrone Willingham hired whites for those key positions...again, the ones that make up the pool for the next head coaching ranks.

"You Have to Explain the Numbers."

But his worst transgression, by far, was legitimizing the idea that it’s okay to blame racism without cause for personal failures.

Willingham was given the biggest stage in the college football world and failed. He was given one of the biggest stages in the Pac-10 and failed. There’s no loss of dignity in failure. There is great loss of dignity in blaming racism without cause or proof.

Worse, at Notre Dame he did it the coward’s way, by not challenging charges of racism in the press that he knew had no factual support, even when put on the spot by John Saunders, all while banking millions from Notre Dame with the knowledge that he had already contacted the University of Washington about leaving Notre Dame.

Be clear on this: Notre Dame fans wanted Willingham to succeed.

We needed to him to succeed.

We were, in fact, desperate for him to succeed.

The same can be said for Husky fans.

This isn’t just one data point. Willingham’s pattern of unassociated blame has continued at Washington.

When Willingham's job was on the line last year, Athletic Director Todd Turner intervened, lining up power brokers while James Bible, president of the Seattle-King County NAACP, requested a meeting with UW President Mark Emmert to discuss "the value of Coach Willingham to this community."

Willingham won again, but the subversive actions of Turner in support of Willingham reportedly cost him his job.

And at what cost to other aspiring black coaches?

If you can’t fire a black head coach with cause (and an enormous payday), than what signal does that send to other schools who might hire a minority head coach?

I’ll answer.

To a school, it means you may not be able to fire him when you want to despite performance on the field. That equates to a much riskier long-term hire, which tilts the scale away from prospective black head coaches.

I know this because “fireability” is a key employment proposition at every major company. It’s the very reason many companies won’t do business in Spain and France, because changing out talent mistakes becomes incredibly costly.

In college football, however, it’s not just cost which is prohibitive—it's also the negative publicity that comes with firing a minority head coach. Willingham’s passive-aggressive tacit approval of racial attacks on Notre Dame showed everyone how painful a process that can be.

It would have been far more beneficial to those who came after Willingham for him to refute unfounded charges rather than tacitly and cowardly advancing them without the benefit of proof.

So if you’re an AD on the sideline, you’re thinking, “Do I need this headache? I just want a winning team.”

Not only isn’t Willingham filling the minority pipeline with potential head coaching candidates, he’s created a giant hurdle for others like him by selfishly protecting his own reputation and job.

This brings up another point: Was Notre Dame racist for hiring Willingham? Was Washington?

Letting the John Saunders of the world dictate how you run your program isn't just asinine and spineless: It's wrong. The law of unintended consequences will eventually make you pay.

It's better to make the right decision for the right reason.

That's what we teach our students...right?

Willingham's Scorched Earth, Aftermath of Bad Recruiting Classes for UW

cfb360 .com — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:47:00 -0400

(www.cfb360.com - www.ndnation.com)

I just snicker when I hear commentators talk about Tyrone Willingham needing more time at Washington. More time for what? To kill Husky football for the next five years?

If Willingham's allowed to continue he's going to deliver a death knell recruiting class to the Huskies. Babbling idiots like John Saunders and Mark May keep talking about Tyrone needing more time for his recruiting to take hold. They forget that it's already taken hold. It is what it is and what it's always been.

Washington had a good recruiting class last year. Not elite. Not great. Just a good class. It finished anywhere between 14th and 24th in the country depending upon which service you use.

That class followed two straight recruiting classes by Willingham that didn't crack the top 25. And the only reason last year's class was good was because there were so many in state recruits that were high caliber. That won't be the case this year or in most years.

Consider this fact: over the last three years Willingham has recruited exactly four four-star or higher players from outside the state and only three are with the team.

One great player a year from outside the state? That wouldn't cut it at Texas, Florida or USC which are loaded with in state talent. Washington is not. To succeed you have to get at least some of best kids from around the country.

But that folks is as good as it gets under Willingham. Woof, woof.

Currently the Huskies have the 86th ranked class after losing their best player (who decomitted last week).

Willingham is about to do to the Huskies what he did to ND and Stanford before him.

For those who didn't follow Notre Dame closely back at the end of Willingham's tenure, the most frightening element wasn't the prospect of another mediocre to bad season, it was the recruiting abyss we were staring into.

In Willingham's second season at Notre Dame he recruited one of the worst overall Notre Dame classes in decades. In this third season, he was doing it again, only this time it looked even worse. Two classes that were all but bereft of linemen.

When USC and Michigan are piling up top ten class after top ten class, that dog won't hunt.

Worse still was the fact that Willingham didn't expect things to get much better on the field, which would have ensured three straight bad recruiting years; a virtual death penalty that Notre Dame wouldn't have recovered from 'till this day.

What made all of this maddening to Notre Dame fans was that Willingham wasn't even trying, he simply expected recruits to come to him. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming labeled Willingham and his staff outright lazy. Willingham would wait and wait to evaluate and offer kids while other coaches mounted full court presses.

Charlie, while still coaching the Patriots, wasn't able to do much to turn that second class around, but finally put together a top 10 class his second year and has followed that up with two top 5 classes including last year's number one recruiting class.

But the die had already been cast. Last year Notre Dame had exactly two offensive linemen in its junior and senior classes.

That's unheard of... or maybe it isn't... read on.

Willingham left Notre Dame with over five million dollars in payouts (he was still the highest paid Notre Dame coach last year btw) and then proceeded to scorch ND's reputation, letting John Saunders float charges of racism while Tyrone played the big man.

So that's Notre Dame. Scorched and burned. Millions out the window and a black hole in recruiting that's taken Notre Dame to its lowest depths in decades. That scorched earth is finally turning to fertile ground and the Irish are coming back from the dead.

None of this surprises Stanford followers who also felt the black hole of Willingham recruiting, twice.

Willingham created his own black hole back in 1996 when he failed to recruit one offensive lineman that year.

None. Zero. Zippo.

Willingham went 5-6 and 3-8 the next two years and almost got fired. But a 8-4 run against a depleted Pac 10 in 1999 (he was 7-1 against the Pac 10 and 1-3 outside of the Pac 10) saved his job before a third losing season in four years in 2000.

Willingham had his best year in 2001 finishing 9-3 (another down year for the Pac 10.) But pain was coming as Willingham's recruiting sowed the seeds for failure again leaving Teevens with what the San Francisco Chronicle called "rampant inexperience on the offensive line" in 2003.

Said the Chronicle, "A line that couldn't run block, couldn't protect the passer and couldn't stand up to more experienced defenses at virtually every turn. "

Hmmm... sounds like Notre Dame in 2007.

Here's the Stanford 2003 preview from SI: "The Cardinal is hurting on the offense line with only one experienced returnee in three-year starter Kirk Chambers, the left tackle. Kwame Harris' early departure for the NFL complicated an already dire situation, and now Teevens will have to rely on a host of unproven players, including seven redshirt freshmen."

Sound familiar Domers? What happened?

Willingham's recruiting left Teevens with only... drum roll please... TWO upper class offensive linemen out of fourteen on the team.

In other words, he created the exact same problem at both schools.

Predictably, Teevens (not that he wouldn't have failed anyway) bombed in his second year in the same way Notre Dame did... just slightly worse than Weis's 3-9 last year. What we've learned is that both coaches were playing with a very unstacked deck due to negligent recruiting. Stanford followers speculated that Willingham got out just in time.

It's no surprise to anyone that Willingham led the charge to impose restrictions on coaches' travel. It saved him from having to compete on hard work.

The thing we Domers learned is that Willingham only cares about Willingham. He poisoned the well in every conceivable way upon his departure from Notre Dame. He left a media mess, a recruiting nightmare and a financial albatross.

It didn't have to be that way either. If he fired Deidrick he could have stayed (something he did anyway when he went to Washington.) He didn't and that turned out to be the best thing that has happened to Notre Dame football in years. It's taken four years to cleanse the stench of losing and divisiveness.

Much like Washington now, Notre Dame's players were just plain quitting in games. That attitude takes a long-long time to change.

But now the Huskies are facing the same Willingham imposed virtual death penalty. A null recruiting class following one decent and two mediocre classes will hamstring the Huskies for years.

And if you thought Willingham didn't work hard on the recruiting trail before, you ain't seen nothing yet. A lame duck Willingham won't be able to take the insult of rejection. Remember Tyrone only cares about Tyrone and recruiting takes a lot of groundwork.

Recruiting isn't microwave popcorn ya know.

Most Domers think that Willingham's a self-important con artist who talks in strange platitudes that sound smart when you first hear them, but upon reflection make little sense and mask his lack of understanding of the issues. I used to think his stern looks had meaning, now I just view them as funny faces he makes when he's clueless.

At Stanford he opined what he would do with Notre Dame's players. At Notre Dame he wondered what he would do without the restrictions. Lack of performance was always someone else's fault. I have no idea where he goes from here, but I believe that if he had an offer to go to another school with a good golf course nearby, he'd be on a plane already.

But after scorching the earth from South Bend to Seattle, it looks like this time the jig's up. When he leaves, don't expect it to be pretty. At Notre Dame he took people down with him and some reports claim he's already done that with Todd Turner at the Dub.

As AFCA president, Willingham may yet have another surprise in the works.

The Inflation Equation: Why Georgia Is Overrated and Ohio State Is the Best Bet

cfb360 .com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:07:00 -0400

(www.cfb360.com) - Two years ago, many magazine prognosticators, reporters, and coaches picked Notre Dame and Ohio State to battle for the still-mythical national championship. It seemed likely on the surface, based on the previous year's results, but they fell into the preseason inflation trap, as Notre Dame had no business being ranked number one or close to it.

Early predictors put too much weight on two important factors: talent at glamour positions (the Halo Effect) and previous year's performance exceeding previous year's expectations (the Hangover Effect.)

The roots of the inflation equation usually go back two years. For example, in 2005 some predicted a 1-5 start for ND, which was a bit silly given that talent was cresting in South Bend from Willingham and Davie's "good" recruiting years. Notre Dame greatly exceeded expectations that year, reaching the BCS.

That created a massive Hangover effect for Weis and Notre Dame heading into 2006. When coupled with the Halo Effect, where the presence of stars at glamour positions makes the whole team seem better, Notre Dame was set up for a fall.

These two factors tend to gloss over major deficiencies or key talent losses, as they did for many when evaluating Notre Dame heading into 2006.

The problem? Notre Dame returned Brady Quinn but lost his best receiver in Maurice Stovall, and his other top receiver was already thinking baseball. That was bad enough, but the offensive line couldn't protect, and the Notre Dame defense, while talented, was caught in a coaching conundrum.

Result: Notre Dame finished the year barely ranked in the top 20.

In 2007, it was a similar story with Michigan (see" Why Michigan was overrated in 2007.") Because Michigan disappointed in 2005, they started 2006 ranked far lower than they should have been and became a "surprise" team. Thus, despite some important losses on defense, these factors—along with star talent at the glamour positions—pushed Michigan up in the rankings for 2007.

They fit the inflation equation: They returned glamour players in Henne, Hart, and Manningham and exceeded the previous year's expectations, but had they major talent holes to fill.

That hangover effect creates the illusion of a rising program, but because talent is turning over every four years, teams that fit the inflation equation need to come with a warning level: Past performance does not guarantee future results.

It's so easy to get caught up in the hype. Phil Steele does a nice job stripping out the noise of the halo and hangover effects by focusing on experience and talent.

Of course, the reverse is also true. Predictors tend to be blinded by poor performance in a previous year and ignore rapidly maturing talent. Traditionally, freshmen have little impact. Sophomores have some impact, but it isn't until their junior years that most athletes start maturing into difference makers.

For instance, Michigan was far underrated going into 2005 because the Wolverines had accumulated an impressive talent base that was just maturing.

Florida started last year at No. 3 in the coaches' poll despite losing a ton of talent on defense. Why? They far exceeded expectations in 2006 and returned Tebow and Harvin.

Louisville was in a triple whammy position. They exceeded expectations and returned Brohm, but lost their head coach and bottomed out in 2007.

Meanwhile, Boston College had quietly accumulated an impressive cast of senior and fifth-year players and was in a strong position to take advantage of the talents of Matt Ryan.

Give me a team with dominant senior lines over one with glamour boys any day. You can't run or pass without blocking, but even an average back can get yards behind a good offensive line.

All things being equal, I'll take an experienced player who may not have had star recruiting accolades, but who has physically matured, over a player with star potential.

Who fits the overrated mold in 2008? Surprisingly, Georgia.

The Bulldogs are a preseason No. 1 according to the Coaches' Poll, Lindys, and The Sporting News, and they return Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno at the glamour positions after exceeding expectations last year.

The Bulldogs return three of five starters on the offensive line, but only one will start at the same position he played last year and four of the five starters will likely be sophomores. This is not a good situation as offensive linemen don't usually become truly effective until their junior years, and often don't hit their potential until their senior years.

As Athlon noted:

"...Bobo is quick to point out that Georgia really only has one player returning to the position he played last year, sophomore left tackle Trinton Sturdivant. The two other returning starters have swapped spots, with Clint Boling moving from left guard to right guard and Chris Davis moving from guard to center. The starting right tackle will be sophomore Kiante Tripp, who started his career as a defensive lineman. There is no real experience on the line. The only upperclassman, junior Vince Vance, is a junior college transfer who has only been in the program for one season."

Against the Dawgs' schedule, that's not a recipe for a national championship run. You can win with underclass offensive linemen, but usually only if they're surrounded by upperclassmen. Counterbalancing that deficit, Georgia returns a deep and talented defensive unit to complement Stafford and Moreno — but the sexy pick isn't always the sensible pick. Georgia has a great team, but schedule and inexperience on the offensive line make them a longer shot than most think to make the title game.

Halo and Hangover effects aside, if you look at experience and talent together, four teams stick out. No one's accumulated more talent recently than Florida and USC, and they are both returning experience as well as glamour players. Both also underperformed against high expectations last year.

Oklahoma's great classes from years ago are now maturing, and the Sooners now have the talent and depth of a number one team.

One team that many in the South will discount this year because of their recent BCS performances is Ohio State.

However, the Buckeyes are returning almost their entire team (with one notable loss,) will have a tested senior quarterback, and most importantly, will have four of five returning starters (four of whom are seniors) blocking for glamour back Beanie Wells (who has as much talent as any running back in football). Wells, now a junior, will likely reach his full potential this year.

After opening with their usual cupcakes (which I've written about , the Buckeyes will have a much-anticipated clash against USC. If they win, they'll be a heavy favorite to win out in a suspect Big Ten—but even if they lose, they still have a great shot at making the title game this year. Experience and schedule look to be on the Buckeyes side in 2008.

Did ESPN Distort and Sensationalize Penn State Football Problems?

cfb360 .com — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:31:00 -0400

nittanylions360.com - Sunday, July 27 2008

Tomorrow, we’ll be just 32 days away from the first game of 2008, but the problems of 2007 continue to haunt Nittany Nation.

And no, I’m not talking about Anthony Morelli.

Today’s report on ESPN’s sensationalized show Outside the Lines, hosted by Bill O’Reilly, um, I mean Bob Ley, lambasted Joe Paterno and Penn State.

There is little doubt that all alumni and fans feel embarrassed about the flurry of off-field issues that Penn State felt last year. However, this piece combined skewed statistics, interviews with long-time haters (Ron Bracken), and a not-so-flattering interview with Paterno to paint a devastating picture of the current state of the program.

Some of the show presented a balanced portrayal, but much of the information misrepresented the problem.

Let’s start with their 2002–2008 statistic that 46 players were charged with 163 counts, for an average of 3.5 counts per players. Forty-five of the 163 counts brought a conviction or plea, for a batting average of 27.6 percent. Of the 46 players charged, 27 were guilty for a winning percentage of 58.6 percent.

I’m not sure where that stands in comparison with other cases in Centre County. If I were a betting man, I’d bet the average tends to be higher.

Therein lies the problem with the whole report. It had no comparison data. What’s the Bowl Sub-Division average for players getting in trouble? What’s the Big Ten average? I imagine we’re near the top in 2007, but are we really from 2002–2008? I find that very hard to believe.

Another question I can’t help but ponder: of those 46 players charged, how many were for underage drinking offenses versus violent crime offenses? Not to ‘excuse’ underage drinking, but it shouldn’t be ticker news for ESPN.

Their 2007 data shows that 17 players were charged with 72 crimes for an average of 4.2 per player. Nine were found or pleaded guilty for a winning percentage of 52.9 percent.

So, we have a combination of factors leading to PSU being common ticker fodder for ESPN: Players doing dumb things, a hyper-aggressive DA, and a "deny! deny! deny!" from the 81-year-old head coach.

All of that said, those that love PSU have held significant pride in both the on-field and off-field stature of our Nittany Lions.

It’s time for Paterno, the coaches, and the captains to manage this problem in-house, and the players to act responsibly.

Five Second-Year Tailbacks To Watch

cfb360 .com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:02:00 -0400

Each season begins with virtual unknowns at tailback that burst onto the College Football scene. This season will be no exception, with the five tailbacks mentioned below being amongst the most likely to leave a lasting impression on their teammates, coaches, fans, and opponents alike.

This list includes only tailbacks that were two years removed from high school. Therefore, redshirt sophomores or sophomores that also attended a prep school for one year after leaving high school were not eligible to make the list.

In alphabetical order:

If one enjoys the proverbial home run hitter at tailback, then Jahvid Best will certainly entertain. The California tailback rushed for 221 yards (7.6 average) last season while backing up then senior tailback Justin Forsett, who led the Bears with 1,546 yards rushing. The 2008 season will offer Best the opportunity to be the feature tailback for California head coach Jeff Tedford and his potent offense.

The legend of Noel Devine began as a prep phenom at North Fort Meyers High School, and continued last season at West Virginia. Devine's game-breaking speed and electric moves make him one of College Football's most exciting players.

With Steve Slaton moving to the NFL, Devine will be the feature running back for the Mountaineers. He gained 627 yards (8.6 average) rushing last season.

Unlike Best and Devine, Robert Hughes of Notre Dame brings the thunder the to the gridiron. At 5-11, 240-pounds, Hughes gains yardage by striking the blow and hitting the cut back lanes. Although Hughes saw limited action for the most of the 2007 season, he was the feature Irish tailback for the last two games of the season and ran for 110 and 136 yards respectively against Duke and Stanford. Hughes gained 294 yards (5.5 average) for the season.

There is little to say about Joe McKnight that has not already been written, at least in terms of his potential. After rushing for 540 yards (5.7 average) in a crowded Southern California backfield last season, McKnight will once again battle for carries amidst the deepest group of tailbacks in college football. McKnight can run over or around a defender, and is adept at catching the football as well.

The most unknown tailback to make the list is Foswhitt Whittaker, the spring game star for the Texas Longhorns. Whittaker redshirted last season due to a crowded Longhorns' backfield, but seized the opportunity to make his mark in front of the Texas coaches and players this spring and is the likely starter come the beginning of the 2008 season. Coming out of Pearland High School in Texas, Whittaker demonstrated excellent quickness and moves.

By Radio Man

Florida Football: Is Meyer an Urban Legend or Urban Liar?

cfb360 .com — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:19:52 -0400

TV Man - www.cfb360.com

Whether you believe he's a legend in the making or a liar, Urban Meyer stokes passions on all sides.

Legend advocates will cite his second-year National Championship and a sophomore Heisman Trophy winner. Liar advocates are lining up against Meyer as stories continue to build, just as bridges linking Meyer to other coaches continue to burn.

Consider these recent stories from other sites and sources on Meyer's recruiting tactics. It's unlikely the following schools have Meyer on their Christmas card list.

LSU: Florida was ready to take all-star corner Patrick Johnson with what they thought was a bogus test score, but he committed to LSU. How did Florida respond? "Florida flagged my scores," Johnson said. "They called the compliance office."

"I'm not upset," Johnson said. "Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They're cowards. They had to go behind my back. But that's OK. We play them this year (on Oct. 11 at Florida)."

FSU (posted on noledigest.com): "While Gator fans will sit and give excuses or spin the details of what is going on, there is no denying that it seems like the UF staff flat-out lies to these kids.

"Here is a quote from Trent Pupello (a player they initially compared to Jeremy Shockey), who is looking to leave the program this year: 'Coach (Steve) Addazio (UF tight ends coach) told me to work on my speed,' Pupello said. 'He didn't say that my speed was slow or anything. He just said that everything (at this level) is faster.

"'I need to work on speed and getting stronger, which is pretty much what we all need to work on. He said that they need me at tight end, that I’ll have an early chance to play and that all of the tight ends will play on the special teams.'"

Michigan site (on the recruitment of Daryl Stonum): The University of Florida stayed on the four star pass-catcher well all the way through. Things crescendoed recently after a conversation with Urban Meyer. According to Stonum, Meyer had a compelling reason why he should become a Gator.

"He told me that he talked to Coach Carr and Coach Soup and that they told him that I would be a much better fit in the Florida offense than I would be in the one at Michigan," Stonum recalled.

"I thought, wow, my coaches are selling me out? I confronted them about it. I asked Coach Carr and Coach Soup about it, and they said they never talked to that guy and that there was no way they ever said anything like that and that they think I should be a Wolverine. I believed them. Right then, I knew just how Florida rolled."

Just Funny: You can't tell the story about Jevan Snead enough (recounted in the book Meat Market). The funniest thing I read in it concerned what Urban Meyer told Jevan Snead. Snead had watched the Outside the Lines special on Tebow, which showed Meyer and OC Dan Mullen in the stands. Problem was, Meyer had told Snead, committed at the time, that he was the only quarterback they were going after.

When Snead asked Meyer about it, Meyer responded, "We are recruiting him for linebacker." I had heard that before, but got a big kick out of reading it in the book straight from Snead.

More LSU from Fox 26 in Houston: "Hempstead's Terrance Toliver, one of the nation's top high school football recruits, says negative recruiting tactics by the University of Florida first had him confused and bewildered. But in an unusual move, two Hempstead High School employees went above and beyond the call of duty to help Toliver make the biggest decision of his life.

"After a vigorous early recruiting rush, it came down to LSU and Florida for Toliver, considered by many the No. 1 high school recruit in Texas and the best wide receiver in the nation. He ended up signing a letter-of-intent with LSU on National Signing Day Wednesday, but not before Florida coaches took several shots at LSU, leaving Toliver unsure what to do next.

"'Every time (Florida recruiters) came, they just said LSU doesn't qualify their players,' Toliver told FOX 26's Mark Berman Wednesday. 'About (how) their academics are not all that. It kind of had me confused.'"

"Eventually a bewildered Toliver asked his football coach Rick Sargent and Hempstead instructional coordinator Tina Johnson to go to Baton Rouge to find out the truth about LSU. The two went last weekend. 'They went and checked (LSU's) academics out and their facilities,' Toliver said. 'They just came back and told me whatever Florida was saying about the academics wasn't true.'"

Notre Dame Blog: When Meyer recruited Justin Trattou he did so by the cover of night. Not that it's illegal, but he told Trattou not to tell anyone he was talking with Florida. Keep in mind that Trattou was committed to Notre Dame at the time.

Amongst other things, Coach Meyer talked to Trattou about how the 3-4 defense was not a good fit for him and his football future (read: NFL, which is garbage—the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers all use the 3-4). Former Gators assistant coach Greg Mattison's favorite topics about Notre Dame (with several recruits), despite his previous love for the school, included how the weather sucked and the social life suffered.

Case in point No. 2: Omar Hunter, same deal as before. Omar was snookered into lying to everyone from Notre Dame coaches and players to likely even his parents, especially his father, who wanted him at Notre Dame due to the academics. Hunter said that he was not talking to other schools, when in fact he was—Florida included—while being a Notre Dame commitment.

In the end, Hunter was a fraud himself, but he was not the one who was truly taken for a ride. Coach Mattison recruited Hunter. He had an ax to grind with Notre Dame after leaving South Bend on not so good terms, and he definitely took it to another level with Hunter.

Mattison, you see, had an assistant coaching job lined up with the Baltimore Ravens long before this past National Signing Day came around. So when Hunter switched his commitment to UF after initially deciding to attend Notre Dame, Mattison and Meyer did what came naturally. They lied to Hunter about the entire situation, telling Hunter that Mattison was not leaving Gainesville.

Just by complete and total coincidence, Mattison ended up taking a job with the Ravens right after National Signing Day. Shocking!

And oh yes, Notre Dame assistant coach Bill Lewis, who recently retired as a football coach, told Hunter what was about to happen. Hunter did not listen and signed with the Gators.

Urban continues to build the best talent base not located in Southern California. Success certainly breeds enemies, but so does recruiting.

Urban Legend or Urban Liar? Talk about it on the cfb360 football board .

How Strong Has Rutgers' In-State Recruiting Really Been?

cfb360 .com — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 23:33:00 -0400

By Radio Man

Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano did what many people deemed impossible: He brought Rutgers football to respectability, and then a top 10 ranking in the BCS polls. Hats off to coach Schiano and everyone associated with Rutgers football for making that dream a reality for long-suffering Rutgers fans.

That's the good news—but the bad news for coach Schiano and his coaching staff is that expectations are now through the roof, especially with Rutgers currently expanding its football stadium.

According to the Star-Ledger, a New Jersey-based newspaper, Rutgers will likely be short on funding for it current expansion. That places further pressure on Rutgers to win games so that private donations escalate to offset the pending funding issue.

What is the best way for a team to win more games? Recruit, recruit, recruit—and then recruit some more. Schiano proved he can coach at a high level, but at some point a head coach needs elite level talent to consistently reach the top of the college football mountain.

Not to mention Rutgers is not going to sneak up on its opponents any longer. Then again, that's sort of a good thing for Rutgers.

How strong has Rutgers' in-state Recruiting really been? Well, good, but not nearly good enough. Several of New Jersey's top recruits have still been finding their way to other programs beyond the state borders.

College football generally runs on perception, as deviant and misguided as it can be. With that in mind, a friend back East mentioned today that Rutgers is still losing far too many of its homegrown prospects to schools such as Notre Dame and Michigan. After taking a closer look at the Rivals.com New Jersey Recruiting Rankings for the past three years, I saw my friend's information was correct.

To formulate a baseline for Rutgers' recruiting efforts, Rivals.com New Jersey recruit rankings from 2007-2009 will be used.

Beginning with the class of 2007, Rivals.com's top 10 in New Jersey included four of the top 10 recruits signing with the Scarlet Knights. That's pretty good, especially with the state's No. 2 overall player, Anthony Davis, an offensive tackle, signing to play for Rutgers.

Still, Duval Kamara, a wide receiver and the top Garden State recruit, signed with the Irish, as did the No. 3 New Jersey recruit, Mike Ragone, a tight end. Rounding out the top five was Justin Trattou, a defensive lineman who signed a letter of intent to play for Florida.

In 2008, Rutgers signed two of New Jersey's top 10 recruits. That's it: two—Art Forst, an offensive tackle who placed No. 4 on the list, and Rashad White, a running back that finished No. 8 on the list.

Michigan, meanwhile, signed three of the top five New Jersey recruits, including J.B. Fitzgerald, a linebacker who was selected No. 2 on the list, Brandon Smith, a safety that ranked No. 3, and Marcus Witherspoon, a linebacker that rounded out the top five.

Michigan signed all three of those recruits during a year in which the Wolverines had a head coaching transition, no less!

That's right: Rutgers signed two of the top 10, while Michigan, a school that rarely recruits New Jersey successfully, signed three of the top five recruits from the state of New Jersey.

As for the current recruiting class, Notre Dame has hit New Jersey hard again, landing commitments from the No. 2 recruit on the list, Theo Riddick, a running back, as well as the No. 3 recruit on the list, Tyler Stockton, a defensive tackle.

The Irish added a verbal commitment from the No. 9 New Jersey recruit, Carlo Calabrese, a linebacker, and are the odds-on favorite to land the Garden State's No. 1 recruit, Anthony LaLota, a defensive end and teammate of Stockton.

Rutgers has done fairly well itself, with commitments from the number six, seven, and eight recruits from in-state. With that said, losing the top three recruits to Notre Dame, assuming LaLota selects the Irish, would be a major blow to coach Schiano and the Rutgers football program.

Rutgers has a "nice" program right now. But if it continually loses New Jersey recruits, especially top skill position recruits such as Kamara and Riddick, to Notre Dame coming off a 3-9 record, and a Michigan team that went through a head coaching transition this past season, Rutgers will be unable to get over the proverbial hump and make a legitimate run at a National Championship or be a consistent BCS bowl contender.

For whatever the reason, New Jersey recruits felt better off signing letters of intent with schools such as Notre Dame and Michigan instead of Rutgers. Considering the amount of effort Schiano placed each year on keeping top in-state recruits from signing with other programs, it does not bode well for Rutgers moving forward.

Coupled with Schiano's propensity to recruit South Florida, New Jersey provides enough talent for Rutgers to have an excellent roster. That's theoretically speaking, of course.

Until proven otherwise, the perception of Rutgers football in the minds of elite New Jersey recruits is that it's more often than not better to go out of state to play college football than to stay home and play for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers must change that perception or watch programs such as Notre Dame and Michigan continue to march into New Jersey and sign its best recruits.

Michigan Football: Rich Rodriguez Takes on Big Offensive Challenge

cfb360 .com — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:48:00 -0400

By Radio Man

Welcome to Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mr. Rodriguez. Now, despite the fact that you are implementing a radically different offensive scheme, you will be expected to win at least eight games this fall. Good luck, coach!

Now back to reality.

There is a reason that the Michigan brass hired former West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez: He is a darn good football coach.

With that said, coach Rodriguez's task for this fall, and really through the 2009 season, will be daunting. Michigan's pro-style offense hit the junk pile as soon as coach Rodriguez accepted the opportunity to be the head coach at Michigan.

With that responsibility, however, came the inevitable: a complete makeover in offensive personnel, beginning with finding a way to make traditional drop-back quarterbacks productive within the spread offense.

Coach Rodriguez's offensive system depends on a mobile and heady quarterback to run the show. Michigan currently does not possess that player on its roster, sans incoming freshman Justin Feagin, who went under the recruiting radar for much of last year. Feagin's skills do fit the spread offense, but a true freshman running the spread will lead to miscues more often than not.

No offense to redshirt freshman Steven Threet, but he is not a spread offense quarterback. Threet will likely be the quarterback when the Wolverines take on Utah to start the 2008 season. Good luck with that.

Without a spread offense quarterback who has experience playing in the spread returning to the Michigan roster, coach Rodriguez's spread offense loses the threat of a true option and a quarterback that can improvise when a play breaks down, thus enabling teams to blitz more, place more defenders in the box, and key on other skill position players.

The long and short of this year's Michigan offense—it will be terrible.

A few good bets about Michigan's offense this season are as follows: likely to lead the league in turnovers committed (note the quarterback issues above, coupled with coach Rodriguez's prior public comments that he will not alter his scheme this year despite the fact there is no true spread quarterback returning to the roster), bottom five in the Big Ten in yards per game, points per game, yards per carry, and third down conversion rate.

All of the aforementioned predictions are attributed to the quarterback situation. That's just how important the quarterback position is to coach Rodriguez's system. And then there is the issue with the offensive line…

The former Michigan staff preferred the huge, bulky, powerful offensive lineman. The current coaching staff prefers quickness over size and the ability to make blocks in space, i.e. screen passes and swing passes, and hold the edge for sweeps and option plays.

Michigan's offensive line will be in flux during this season and next. In time, the situation will correct itself. This season Michigan will be solid up front, but expect the offensive line to dramatically improve between this season and next. A year in the spread, and a year within the new strength and training system, will enhance Michigan's offensive linemen considerably.

Yes, Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington bolted to the NFL. That will be a tough pill to swallow for coach Rodriguez and his staff. Having that type of wide receiver talent would have made the transition at quarterback much easier. Oh well—Threet will have to grow up quickly.

Michigan will certainly have ample talent at wide receiver, but it will be largely inexperienced beyond junior Greg Mathews.

The good news begins and ends for the Michigan offense at the running back position. With juniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown returning, coach Rodriguez will be able to utilize two talents that know what it is like to play in the Big Ten. Both players will be relied on heavily from the outset of the season.

The Wolverines also boast some talented incoming freshman tailbacks/slot receivers that could see early playing time. The question will be, how much time do they need to learn the system so that they help more than they hurt the offense?

For now, Michigan will have to make do with many parts that do not fit the car. That's just the way it is. Coach Rodriguez will have Michigan back on track by the end of the 2009 season, but it will be a long 2008 season.

Prediction: Michigan will be 5-7, largely due to its offense imploding this fall.

Notre Dame Football: Freshman Impact

cfb360 .com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:54:00 -0400

By Radio Man - www.cfb360.com

Remember the name Michael Floyd. Soon it will not matter. He is going to be making big plays for the Irish from the outset of his Notre Dame career—sorry, San Diego State defense.

After a truly exhausting recruiting process, Floyd decided to attend Notre Dame despite overtures from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Wisconsin, Florida, and the home state Gophers.

That's just the beginning of the story. It will continue to progress if all that has been said about Floyd—albeit privately, based on the early returns from his summer workouts at Notre Dame—is legitimate.

When asked about the current team and who looked good, without hesitation the voice on the phone said, "Michael Floyd. He looks really good."

Think about it. The kid is only a freshman, and he was the first player mentioned. Now that, my friends, is a good sign for Floyd's football future, and Notre Dame's.

Another receiving target to watch for will be Kyle Rudolph. The tight end from Cincinnati, Ohio was the nation's no. 1 prep tight end last year and chose Notre Dame over Ohio State and many others. Rudolph was a very good high school basketball player as well, a good sign of his athletic prowess.

Look for Rudolph to be a weapon in the Notre Dame offense this upcoming season, especially on passing downs and in the red zone. At roughly 6'7", Rudolph will have a decided advantage against any defender when quarterback Jimmy Clausen decides to throw a "jump ball" towards Rudolph.

Just because Rudolph is listed as a tight end does not mean he will take snaps from a three-point stance at all times. Rudolph's size, athleticism, and excellent hands will allow him to line up out wide and be another option in three, four, and five wide receiver formations.

Moving to the defense, Ethan Johnson spurned Southern California and Michigan to come to Notre Dame. The 6'5", 275-pound defensive end brings a skill set that quite frankly does not usually inhabit Notre Dame straight out of high school, as the Irish traditionally struggle to find talented defensive linemen with the academic profile to match Notre Dame as well. Johnson fit the bill, and Irish fans are going to enjoy his style of play.

Do not assume Johnson's 275-pound frame makes him just another big run stuffer. Johnson can get after the quarterback quite well. His size will in fact help against the run.

That's a rarity for a true freshman defensive lineman: a talent that is good enough to play a considerable amount of snaps against the pass and the run. Usually a freshman defensive lineman is geared more towards one skill set or the other. Not Johnson. He will contribute early and often to the Irish defense.

Notre Dame needed an influx of front seven talent, and it succeeded by adding two excellent prospects from Chicago: Darius Fleming and Steve Filer, both physically capable of lining up at linebacker or placing one hand on the ground and playing defensive end.

At least for now, Filer will be playing the JACK position, which is the inside weak side linebacker position in the 3-4, but could also move around in the 4-3 defensive alignment.

Fleming will likely play outside linebacker during the plays in which Notre Dame lines up in a 3-4 alignment and move to defensive end during plays in which Notre Dame lines up in a 4-3 alignment. His versatility will be welcomed.

Do not be surprised to see Filer play outside linebacker (with the intent to rush the passer) or defensive end during passing downs either. Both players possess outstanding quickness.

Several other freshmen could make an impact at Notre Dame as well, including Robert Blanton, Deion Walker, John Goodman, and Sean Cwynar, just to name a few.

Kodi Burns Takes Over Auburn's Offense

cfb360 .com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:01:00 -0400

Take a minute to think about the QB situation at Auburn, which is currently in flux due to changes with the starters and coaching staff. Good-bye pro-style offense, hello spread.

Can it be? Auburn won't be lining up in a one-back or I-formation and playing power football? Get used to it, as the Tigers shifted to the spread and have entrusted the reigns of the offense to sophomore Kodi Burns.

Burns carried the ball 54 times for 203 yards last season, which was good for a 3.8 average. Considering college football counts sacks against teams' and players' rushing averages, Burns probably did better than his rushing average indicated.

In essence, the Auburn faithful need not worry about Burns toting the pigskin. The bigger issues lie with Burns's ability to quickly master the spread offense and become a leader, along with the obvious: making accurate throws. That will not be an easy task for a sophomore in the rugged SEC West.

Auburn welcomes back Ben Tate and Brad Lester, giving the Tigers, and more importantly, Burns, two excellent options to handoff, pitch, or throw to from the running back or slot position (watch for Lester to lineup in the slot to provide more speed).

Additionally, Mario Fannin moved to wide receiver from tailback, and he possesses excellent footwork and the ability to make defenders miss in space, a big plus for the spread offense. Still, Burns has a big role to fill.

Forget any commentary that Auburn's coaches spew to the SEC or national media this summer or during fall camp. All they are going to state is that they have the utmost confidence in Burns. What else are they going to say? "Hey, we know Burns is going to struggle this year…" Yeah, right.

The biggest help for Burns, however, begins with senior wide receiver Rod Smith, who caught 52 passes for 706 yards last season, for an average of 13.4 yards per reception. Smith will be counted on even more so now, with a new offense and new quarterback.

The big-play, and literally biggest, wide receiver for the Tigers will be Tim Hawthorne, a high-profile recruit from Homewood, Ala. entering his sophomore season. At a listed 6'3", 208 pounds, Hawthorne provides an inviting target for Burns, especially during third downs and jump balls close to the end zone.

Hawthorne secured just four passes last season, but is projected as a starter this fall. It will be important for him to play up to his hype, and size, for the Tigers' spread offense to gain momentum during the 2008 season.

The other wide receiver that is listed as a starter headed into fall camp is James Swinton, a senior who only caught one pass last season. Also, watch out for Montez Billings, currently listed behind Smith on the depth chart, but a player that corralled 28 receptions for 321 yards, for an average of 11.5 per reception during the 2008 campaign. Billings' 28 receptions being second to Smith for the 2007 season.

During the 2007 season, a young, Tigers offensive line proved to be inconsistent at times, but that inexperience has a year of growth behind it heading into the upcoming season. Sophomore Lee Ziemba started to provide flashes of his high-recruiting profile by the end of the SEC portion of the 2007 schedule, and will anchor the line from his offensive-tackle position.

All of the aforementioned players give Burns a chance to be one of the key components to the 2008 Auburn offense, and not the sole component of the 2008 Auburn offense.

Burns must still learn the nuances of the Tigers' new system and adapt to the players being lined up around him in unfamiliar territory, but he will not take on the burden of jump-starting the Auburn offense alone, at least not in theory.

Now, if the Tigers lay an egg during an early SEC game, of course the media will jump all over Burns, because he is the quarterback. Welcome to the SEC West, young Mr. Burns. Your time has come, ready or not.

Talk about it on the Message Boards.

College Football: When Top Coaches Step Down, Who Takes Over?

cfb360 .com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:41:00 -0400

By Radio Man

There are several College Football head coaching positions that coaches covet, although many covet these special jobs privately, probably through an agent, to protect their current job status from falling apart.

Surely the athletic directors, school presidents, students, players, fans, and alumni wouldn't mind if "Johnny wants a better job head coach" looks around, right? Uh, no.

That is why coaches have to constantly lie to the media about changing jobs (i.e. "I have no interest in any job…"), even though it is fairly obvious what is going on behind the scenes.

Need proof? Nick Saban, how's the Miami Dolphins job treating you? Rich Rodriguez still loves his alma mater over the money, no doubt.

Then there is the one-year NFL wonder that is now at Arkansas, whose name shall not be muttered because he is the worst of the lot.

Welcome to big-time College Football, where coaches and the people who root for them and the programs they represent share equal blame for not being honest or realistic.

With all of the uncertainty that goes on with College Football's best coaching positions, how does one accurately predict who will take over at a top program? One does not, at least not without providence.

With that said, here are three programs that will or could have coaching changes during the next three to five years.

The Florida State program without head coach Bobby Bowden is like a southern family reunion without fried chicken and potato salad.

Yet all things must come to an end, as the saying goes, and Bowden will indeed be stepping down, although the exact date is still to be determined.

Of course, the choice of the next Florida State skipper became known to everyone when Jimbo Fisher, the current Seminoles offensive coordinator, was selected to succeed coach Bowden last Dec. 10.

Whether Fisher will be a good choice is hard to say. Fisher's coaching stops include Samford (OC, 1991-92), Auburn (QBs, 1993-98), Cincinnati (OC, 1999), Louisiana State (OC/QBs, 2000-06), and Florida State (OC/QBs, 2007-present).

The obvious question arises with Fisher: Will a career assistant be able to make the adjustment to being a top-notch head coach at a perennial power? The Florida State powers that be believe Fisher is an excellent choice, and Fisher will have his opportunity when Coach Bowden finally walks away from the Florida State program.

One positive is Fisher's age. He will turn 43 years old on Oct. 10. If Fisher does do well, he could stay in Tallahassee for a long time, much like coach Bowden.

Penn State must decide on its next head coach, but the current head coach does not appear to be too happy about the way the next head coach will be selected in Happy Valley.

Yes, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is an icon; yes, Coach Paterno has stalked the Nittany Lions sidelines for over fifty years as an assistant or head coach.

Coach Paterno, however, at least allegedly, wants a large say with regards to who the next head coach in Happy Valley will be—like oh, say, the majority of the say.

That is just not going over well with various Penn State administrators and powerful alumni. Oh, this one could get ugly—and quite frankly, it already has.

Hey Coach Paterno, nepotism rarely works in the institution's favor. Despite that business belief, Coach Paterno has kept his son, Jay Paterno, on the Penn State coaching staff since 1995.

That's one thing, but Paterno is also the quarterbacks coach, which just so happens to be the most important position on the gridiron. Ugh. Penn State signal callers have been heckled so often in the last decade that it's old news.

Again, Coach Paterno's son, Jay, coaches the Nittany Lions' signal callers. The point of bringing up Jay is that Paterno was, is, and likely will continue to be stubborn beyond a fault. So who takes over for him when he steps down?

Two names are most often bandied about regarding the Penn State job: Tom Bradley, the current Penn State defensive coordinator and secondary coach, and Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.

Take a wild guess as to who Paterno would like to see named the next head coach in Happy Valley.

Coach Schiano spent six seasons at Penn State (1990-95), while Coach Bradley has been at Penn State since 1980 as a coach, not to mention he played at Penn State before going into the coaching profession.

Apparently the Penn State powers that be beyond Paterno think differently about Bradley as the next head coach of the Nittany Lions, or else, like Florida State, a succession plan would have been put in place by now.

Schiano's name constantly comes up when a college job opens, such as Michigan last year and Miami before that. Penn State would reportedly be Schiano's dream job (this is just rumor—it's not like he's going to admit that while still coaching at Rutgers anyway).

Penn State, however, commands more Coach Schiano attention than any other job that is open or will be open. It should be interesting to see who wins this battle.

Maybe the Penn State administration is flat-out going to tell Coach Paterno to step down and that he will not have a formal say in who the next head coach is. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

In today's College Football world, it could happen. Do not doubt it.

Coach Paterno has overstayed his welcome in Happy Valley, and his time as an elite head coach passed long ago, giving him less power.

Look at this way—if Penn State was a constant top 10 team, would there be any doubt about who the next Penn State head coach would be? Coach Paterno's power would be unrivaled in that scenario.

Obviously, that is not the case, and the Penn State administration's (and alumni) dilemma grows by the day.

The last job up for discussion may surprise a few people: Southern California. Trojans head coach Pete Carroll certainly has a great gig in Los Angeles.

His NFL career did not go as well as his current stint as the leader of Troy, however, and that is why his name constantly comes up with NFL franchises each and every year.

In short, it's only a matter of time before he bolts. The ego must be fed, and Coach Carroll has a huge ego, just like other College Football coaches.

Who takes over for coach Carroll when he leaves? Hard to say for sure, but the job will not be short on candidates when it opens due to the plethora of talent that Coach Carroll has lassoed into inner-city Los Angeles to play at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Coach Carroll made it clear long ago that he must be offered complete control of personnel decisions before he would entertain an NFL coaching overture. Sooner or later, an NFL offer will come Coach Carroll's way that he cannot refuse.

In the northern suburbs of Los Angeles, Norm Chow made his reappearance in Los Angeles this spring as the new UCLA offensive coordinator. Of course he left Southern California under bad terms with Coach Carroll. That would be an interesting choice.

Another possibility could be Steve Sarkisian, currently an assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach for the Trojans. He is well-liked by Carroll, and the Trojans quarterbacks have done well since Coach Chow departed.

However, he is very young, turning 34 this year. That could hold him back a while.

There are other coaches with ties to Southern California, such as the head coaches of the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pete Carroll is the head coach of the Southern California Trojans, for now—but not for long.

Just something to think about. Talk about it on the Message Boards.