SEC Extra Points with Barrett Sallee: Robert Nkemdiche Suspension Sets Tone
What seemed like an inevitability became a reality this week at Ole Miss.
Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche's career in Oxford is done.
The junior from Grayson, Georgia, has been suspended for the Allstate Sugar Bowl after crawling out of the window of an Atlanta hotel and being arrested for possession of marijuana, according to Chris Low of ESPN.com. He suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized.
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Nkemdiche didn't leave head coach Hugh Freeze many options thanks to some mind-boggling judgment. But Freeze absolutely set the disciplinary tone for the future of the program. It doesn't matter who you are or how highly you're ranked, players must exercise good judgment.
"I'm totally indebted to this guy," Freeze said of Nkemdiche, according to Low. "He helped change our program [as the No. 1 recruit in the country when he signed]. I look forward to sharing with NFL scouts and general managers his unique ability and talent."
If you don't think this suspension will resonate with young, former hotshot prospects like Van Jefferson, Damarkus Lodge and others, you're crazy.
Nkemdiche's arrival in Oxford kick-started what turned out to be a steady stream of blue-chip talent to Ole Miss. By forcing him out of a major bowl in his final game, Freeze effectively made an example out of his best player.
Others will take note, which will benefit Freeze and the program as they move on to the post-Nkemdiche era.
Make no mistake, it is a new era in Oxford.
Nkemdiche has already said that he's leaving, and barring something crazy happening, fellow stars from the 2013 class Laquon Treadwell and Laremy Tunsil will be doing the same. New stars need to know that poor judgment will not go unnoticed.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Another offseason, another year of discussing Alabama head coach Nick Saban's future and whether he thinks about leaving Alabama for another job.
"No, I really don't," he told Low. "I don't see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else."
It's like a broken record with Saban, who's been linked to Texas and several NFL jobs over the last few offseasons.
Why doesn't anybody believe him when he says that he's happy in Tuscaloosa? His oft-quoted statement about Alabama while he was still coaching the Miami Dolphins probably has a lot to do with it.
"I guess I have to say it, I'm not going to be the Alabama coach," he said on Dec. 21, 2006, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
He was announced as Alabama's new head coach on Jan. 3, 2007.
This might come as a shock, but times change. People change. What Saban found attractive nine years ago from a professional standpoint might not be what he finds attractive now.
Now at age 64, Saban has built quite a legacy in Tuscaloosa. Just because he coached three teams in four years (LSU, the Dolphins and Alabama) nearly a decade ago doesn't mean he's bound and determined to jump ship again.
Can we stop with the seemingly annual Saban speculation ritual?
He made just over $7 million this year, according to the USA Today coaching salary database, is signed through the 2021 season and is contending for national titles ever year.
Yes, sometimes Saban gets grumpy. Being grumpy while preparing for the College Football Playoff and having all that money in the bank isn't the worst thing in the world.
QB of the Future?
Will Grier became a star during the first six games of the 2015 season, tossing 10 touchdown passes and leading Florida to six straight wins.
But his yearlong suspension due to performance-enhancing drugs ended his season and, ultimately, his Gators career. The North Carolina native announced that he's leaving the program this week, according Nick de la Torre of GatorCountry.com, which leaves a glaring hole on the depth chart at quarterback for the 2016 Gators.
No, Treon Harris isn't the answer. But Luke Del Rio might be.
The former Alabama and Oregon State signal-caller has taken a long and winding road to get to Gainesville, but the 6'1", 216-pounder will likely get his first real shot to compete for a starting quarterback job from the moment offseason workouts start after the bowl game.
"He’s been having some really good practices out there," Florida coach Jim McElwain said, according to Zach Abolverdi of SECCountry.com "I think you guys were probably updated even through kind of the summer of when he came here he was a little bit of a spark plug out there."
He completed eight of his 18 passes with Oregon State in 2014 for 141 yards, serving as the backup to entrenched starter Sean Mannion. The former 3-star prospect and son of Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has a big arm and fits McElwain's offense much better than dual-threat Treon Harris does.
He will have competition this offseason for the starting job in 2016, presumably just from Harris and incoming early enrollee Feleipe Franks, assuming McElwain doesn't hit the graduate transfer market. But don't be surprised if Del Rio becomes the front-runner for the job this spring.
Rising to the Top
Auburn quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson and Sean White should both see action in next week's Birmingham Bowl against Memphis, and consider it an audition heading into a very critical offseason.
Neither quarterback ran as much as past Auburn signal-callers, which is why head coach Gus Malzahn might favor junior college transfer John Franklin III moving forward. The former Florida State and East Mississippi Community College signal-caller served as the Florida State scout team version of former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall leading up to the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. He should contend for the starting job right away.
That makes the Birmingham Bowl very important for White and Johnson.
The offseason isn't going to be as much of a quarterback battle as it will be a battle of styles. If Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee want to go in the direction of a mobile quarterback, Franklin will be the guy. If a pocket passer is more the flavor of the offseason, the leader in the clubhouse exiting the Birmingham Bowl will have the inside track at the job.
At this point, White has to be the favorite to be the best option as a pocket passer.
He missed three of Auburn's final four games battling through multiple injuries but is still listed as the starter on Auburn's depth chart.
However it shakes out, though, the best quarterback against Memphis will have a big advantage in the battle to be the 2016 starting quarterback on the Plains.
Staff Shakeup
Georgia will play Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl with a staff pieced together by interim head coach Bryan McClendon, but there will be at least two faces on the sidelines who will be a part of new head coach Kirby Smart's staff.
The school announced Wednesday that linebackers coach and interim defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker will stay on following the bowl game.
Who won't be part of the 2016 staff, though, are McClendon and running backs coach Thomas Brown.
South Carolina announced via email Wednesday that McClendon will become the new co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach with the Gamecocks.
"Bryan is an up-and-comer in the coaching profession," South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp said in a release. "It says a lot about his abilities as a coach to be named the interim head coach for the Bulldogs in their bowl game."
McClendon has been with the Bulldogs as a position coach since 2009 and was a former wide receiver from 2002-05. He served as the Bulldogs recruiting coordinator over the last two seasons and was instrumental in luring several stars to Athens including Nick Chubb, Keith Marshall, Lorenzo Carter, Isaiah Crowell and Todd Gurley, according to his 247Sports bio.
Brown, also a former Bulldog, will join former Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt at Miami after spending one year on Richt's staff in Athens, according to Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was the lead recruiter for 4-star running back commit Elijah Holyfield and a part of the recruitment of several 2016 studs including 5-star defensive lineman Derrick Brown and 4-star safety Nigel Warrior.
Smart has been busy double-dipping over the last month as his Crimson Tide prepare for the national semifinal against Michigan State. Retaining Rocker—who's well-known for his recruiting prowess—and Sherrer is great for continuity of the program.
Make no mistake, though; this week has been a net loss for Smart.
While he's busy coaching Alabama in its quest to win its first national title since 2012, his new program, Georgia, has seen two of its best assistants walk out the door. That could come back to bite him down the stretch during the 2016 recruiting cycle and beyond.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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