Explain the Franklin/Vandy Love to Me

The non-sense around James Franklin's "men of honor" quotes (or misquote, if you have any reason to believe him) continues.  We all know it was Kiffin level douchebaggery when he said it. Also, he knew exactly what he was saying, when he said it, and that he did so intentionally.  We all thought it interesting on the day he said it, since he had gotten one of those men to leave North Carolina after the kid began orientation.

Yeah, Larry Fedora isn't impressed:

“What does [Franklin] say about the kids that were committed elsewhere and de-committed from their places to go to his place? That’s my comment. What is his comment on those people? He’s got someone in his recruiting class that did that very thing. He’s saying those guys are not men of honor? Basically, he’s saying he has got kids in his own recruiting class that are not men of honor. He said that, and I didn’t.”

Hey, I love me a good pissing contest.  My money is on the guy who is named after a hat, as opposed to an asshat. Blutarsky, as per usual, has a good take on that side of it.

My question is this: What about Franklin's actions suddenly make him some cult hero or actually make Vanderbilt a force to be reckoned with? Just talking to the casual Georgia (or SEC, for that matter) fan, you would think he signed a Top 10 class.  He did...Top 10 in the conference. Yes, they were more competitive than normal, but they beat no team with a winning record.  The closest they came was their game against Georgia.

Someone is going to have to explain to me why Franklin isn't Lane Kiffin, but with a lesser coaching pedigree. Is it because of his 'We aren't going to take it' attitude and the fact he wanted to fight Todd Grantham?

What I saw was a team that was undisciplined to the point of danger and that had the inability to close. Definitely sounds like Kiffin to me.

TD

Joshua Harvey-Clemons Can Be Commented On

Kipp Adams continuing the great coverage:

Just told Josh Harvey-Clemons has submitted his letter of intent to #UGA.
— Kipp Adams ESPN (@KippLAdams) February 2, 2012

Or maybe wait on commenting:

Per sources in Athens, they are expecting the LOI of Josh Harvey-Clemons to arrive in next few minutes. #dayaftersigningday
— Kipp Adams ESPN (@KippLAdams) February 2, 2012

And it is in.
TD

NSD Review

Nothing really to talk about? Another top 10 class. Big gets on defense. Punter and kicker of the future. Some offensive line help. We could have signed a couple of more, but over all the 2013 class looks deeper, especially in state, than the 2012 class does. As long as we take care of business in 2013, a smaller class this year isn't that big of a deal.

So, anything else blog worthy going on about signing day? Oh, Joshua Harvey-Clemons.  My take: Give the kid...and his family...a break. Before you start with the 'you don't want to win' and 'be a Florida fan you f$*@$*g,' understand this: They are making a decision about where their family member will always be associated with.

As a Bulldog fan, I am mad that his grandfather would hold him up from his dream. As a parent, I understand. I believe Josh when he says he is 100% Dawg and is coming to Athens. I believe he is coming to Athens. His family will understand that his desire to succeed at the place of his choosing will, and should, win over any concerns of distance (or whatever it is that the Clemons are concerned about). Plus, his family can't keep him from enrolling at Georgia, so even if the LOI never gets signed, he can show up on time and play on scholarship.

Finally, I am not calling shenanigans, but why would the family want him at Florida with Coach Boom MF over Georgia with Coach Richt? Any ideas, other than the distance thing?

TD

PS. Yes, I know the mystery recruit never materialized. I have thought all along the mystery recruit was someone who hadn't really mentioned UGA, so if he'd have decided to come to Georgia, it would have been beyond a shock.

PSS. Blutarsky has art.

National Signing Day

Over night there were a couple of interesting developments:

1. Josh Harvey-Clemons didn't narrow his choices to two. Does it mean anything? Not sure. Some say it has to do with his cell phone being left on Nevin Shapiro's boat in Miami. If I had to guess, it makes me think Georgia and FSU aren't the slam dunk top two.
2. Eligwe narrows to two. UGA ain't one. Swing and a miss.

Follow Bernie or Hedges to Hardwood's live blogs.  Should be an interesting day.

TD

T minus 23 hours until National Signing Day

Here we find ourselves 23 hours before National Signing Day. NSD is the last shot of methadone given before we are kicked out of our program, at least until Spring football. I don't expound on recruiting much, other than giving a snarky, usually ill informed, opinion about the outcome, but that doesn't mean I don't follow it and want Georgia to win at this as much as I do everything from football to tiddlywinks.

Having said that, the rational Tyler (call him The Narrator, if you like) knows the actual Scout/Rivals/ESPN/randomeblogyouveneverheardofbuteveryoneswearsisthebestatrecruiting rankings are just tools for those sites to talk/write about something to feed the voracious appetites of their readers. Addressing need is much more important to The Narrator than winning recruiting rankings.

That being said, it is important for Georgia to close strong. There are several 4-5 star players out there that would fill needs. Recruiting sites often miss on a 3 star player's upside. They rarely miss on 4 and 5 star players' downsides. If a guy is a 4 or 5 star, they it is likely they are the real deal.

My dream list for Georgia (and how likely the Dawgvent will explode at how they are being underused we are to see them in Athens in the Fall):
Dalvin Tomlinson - 8:45 announcement; 30% likely a Dawg, likely going to Alabama
Jaquay Williams - 8:45 announcement; 60% likely a Dawg, 40% Auburn
Josh Harvey-Clemons - 9am announcement; 90% likely a Dawg
Brandon Greene - 9:00 announcement; 40% likely a Dawg, 60% Alabama
Kenderious Whitehead - 9:00 announcement; 2% likely a Dawg, he's going to NC State
Josh Dawson - 10:00 announcement; 50/50 with Vandy
Cordarrelle Patterson - 11:30 announcement; 90% likely a Dawg
Avery Young - 2:00 announcement; 60% likely a Dawg, Auburn and Florida are even if he doesn't come to Athens.

And....the mystery recruit. The white whale of recruiting. It is hard to say if the rumors are true or if Georgia having an easy two unspoken for spots mean the class is fuller than we know. Honestly, if I had to say, there is a guy out there that has publicly committed to another school, but has told Georgia's coaches they are still very much in the hunt. Like everyone, I think it is a Dback. I'd say someone that is totally unexpected like Deon Bonner (due to his situation during the visit), Chaz Elder (who has a SC hat on for his Rivals picture) or Ronald Dabry (who hasn't really even mentioned Georgia in his many discussions with the media). I'd also throw Eligwe and Dillon Lee (he's already enrolled at 'Bama) in the discussion, as both have been committed to their schools for quite a while and both could see some immediate playing time. If I were forced to guess, I'd say Eligwe or Darby (note that Eligwe has postponed his decision until Feb 6 and made less than positive comments about UGA).

TD

And The Genius Blinked

When Tech threatened to pull the scholly offer from Antonio Crawford if he visited Miami, I thought he would be going to Coral Gables.  Why would a kid want to go to a school that would threaten such a thing? Yes, Coach Johnson, Certified Genius, had pulled offers based on commits visiting other schools, so visiting Miami seemed like the mere prelude to him not having the offer to go to Tech when he got home.

But Tech still wants him. Not that he cares. He's going to Miami. 

I thought it was interesting they didn't threaten the Adams kid when he visited Auburn, which led me to think about the threat to pull Crawford's offer.  Why do that?

And why did the coach that was recruiting the kid from Lanier County who's offer was pulled get fired?

Strange days in the Flats.

TD

Blutarsky's take on the death of the Johnson Doctrine.

On Football Recruiting

I typically don't write about football recruiting. I follow it with interest and need Georgia to do well, but I just don't like to write about it much. Yes, I know how important it is. Yes, it is interesting. I just can't get too worked up (at least until the week of signing day) about it.

There are plenty of very good places to get the information, including Michael Carvell's coverage for the AJC, or to see bloggers' takes on recruiting; I just don't have the inclination to devote my limited brain juice to it.

That being said, I find Coach Richt's approach very interesting. I have to say I haven't been happy over the past two months with the 'Georgia waited to offer' refrain we hear from some players. Now, for the second year in a row, it looks like the last week is setting up to be very interesting. Will Georgia get an in-home with Brandon Greene? If they do, will Saban, who is reportedly pissed at Greene's flirtation with UGA, fire him?

It is interesting that Saban, who cut a kid loose earlier because he was the '26th' guy in the class, would be mad at a kid re-evaluating his decision. That is the duplicity of the system we live in. Ask the Football Genius of North Avenue. That isn't to say Greene will forsake 'Bama for Georgia. That is to say the late push isn't a terrible counter strategy to the very early offer and push approach that other coaches employ. Will we continue to miss on very good players with our wait and see approach? Sure.

The next week will be very interesting, as we have a legit shot at significantly improving this signing class. It will also give an indication if the wait and see approach is worth continuing. Get one more offensive lineman and Josh Harvey-Clemons, that is a win. Get Greene and Young, plus Harvey-Clemons and some combination of either of the two Dawsons on defense, that is a huge win. Get those plus JaQuay Williams? Now I am dreaming.

TD

Keith Marshall Junior Year Highlight Reel

Video of Keith Marshall's junior year. I actually think this video is even more impressive than his senior year clips.



What are your thoughts?

PWD

Keith Marshall Senior Highlights Video

Via AthleteVault.com.



What's your reaction to these Keith Marshall highlights? I like the way the future Georgia Bulldog stutter steps to let the hole open before accelerating out. Also like that he runs with a nice lean forward. Not the biggest guy obviously, but he's got a tremendous toolset.

PWD

Keith Marshall to UGA (Video)

Video from UGASports.com.



I really believe that there's nothing wrong with Isaiah Crowell that competition with a player of Keith Marshall's caliber can't fix.

Isaiah isn't the first freshman to struggle with toughness issues. Do you remember what Reggie Brown was like as a freshman? If he dropped a pass, he'd limp off the field or have to have the doctors and training staff come tote him off. Eventually, he found his toughness.

He's also not the first kid to come in with an attitude. Remember what Arnold Harrison was like in 2001 as a freshman? Getting into fights and being thrown out of games? Harrison turned into a solid leader for the program and ended up going from 1 star recruit to a spot with the Steelers for several years.

I'm thrilled to have Keith Marshall on board. His commitment is a good decision for Marshall, for UGA and for Crowell.

Having said all of that....the pressure is really on Coach Bryan McClendon. BMac did a great job of helping us secure the #1 running back in the country in consecutive years. Now, the Dawgnation eagerly awaits to see what he can make of this situation. Will his unit lead the team in arrests and shenanigans for the fourth straight year? Or will the RBs become a source of strength for the program?

What are your thoughts? What do you think is UGA's next highest priority for 2012 recruiting?

PWD

SG Kenny Gaines to play for Hoop Dawgs

Gaines, a Rivals150 (three star) shooting guard from Whitefield Academy will help solidify a recruiting class that is looking stronger. Gaines plays on the Georgia AAU team with recent commit Charles Mann and top target SF Marcus Hunt.



Georgia is still working on their internal investigation of the situation surrounding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. This is a good get for Coach Fox and an indication of the headway he is making into a very important AAU program in the state.



TD

ESPN upgrades UGA Hoops Commit

Charles Mann was upgraded by ESPNU into their Top 100 recruits for 2012.  Like I said earlier...there's no way Jim Calhoun is flying 800 miles to recruit a 3 star kid. Ht - dawgwithabone via dawgpost.

PWD

2012 Hoops Recruiting Update

As most of you saw earlier, Charles Mann (6'5" PG) committed to Coach Fox last week. Mann is rated at 3 star guard by both Scout and Rivals. Rivals has him listed as a Top 150 player nationally.

Both Rivals and Scout listed Mann as having an offer from UConn. If that offer was legit, I can assure that he's better than the 140th ranked player in the nation. Jim Calhoun doesn't come all the way to Atlanta unless he thinks the kid can ball.

Additionally, Mann is on the same AAU team as Marcus Hunt (6'6" SF). Hunt is ranked as 4-stars by Rivals and Scout. Hunt is a Top 100 player from Rivals. Signing a true SF would ensure that Kentavious Caldwell could stay at the SG position where his body type is more ideally suited.

Mann is also good friends with uber recruit William Shaq Goodwin (6'8" PF). Goodwin is ranked in the Top 26 players nationally by both Scout and Rivals. He hasn't decided which sport he wants to play in HS, but UGA is very much in the mix. He's the must have difference maker in this class who still lists UGA very highly.

Lastly, UGA appears to be in good shape with Kenny Gaines (6'4" SG). Gaines also plays with the Georgia Stars AAU program with Hunt and Mann. He is listed as 3 stars by Scout and Rivals. The Dawgs need to ink all four of these kids to build a sustainable recruiting pipeline.

Was Mann's signing the momentum the class needs for 2012? Hopefully. The early signing period is mid-November so we'll know soon enough.

PWD

About the Recruiting Haul

Nice work by the coaches. The commitment of Theus is especially enormous because of the challenges UGA has faced the past four seasons recruiting and retaining healthy players.

Benedict is gone. Harmon is gone. Long has moved to another position and hasn't been healthy enough for live action. Xavier Ward is injured. The coaching staff was all-in on Theus in a huge way.

Weekends like send the message to recruits that we still have the "marketplace momentum." Now, if the basketball program could just get some recruiting momentum.

PWD

Georgia Preseason Preamble

There are two things I keep thinking about when I start to write about the upcoming season:

1. How close to the Dawgs are to being overlooked due to the people putting an inordinate amount of weight on last year's performance having anything to do with this year's team.  Not to say they aren't related; they are.  It is too easy to say Georgia lost to UCF and move on to the next team without evaluating what has happened since then.  Similar thing happened in 2007 after the Sugar Bowl win over Hawaii. 
2. How close the Dawgs are to being rightly overlooked, with root causes of the recent past failures being the reason.  Failures of training, failures of scheme, and failures of development.  The answer to a turn around isn't simply saying run fewer quick draws or make the players eat right.  The answer is figuring out what the failures are and fixing them. DNA level failures.  Not doing so, and now, likely means a regime change in Athens.

I've talked about one of the changes that probably is the most obvious.  Getting guys stronger and eating better.  It remains to be seen if the new approach is working, but getting guys to lay off Waffle House and Burger King is a start.

I'm no schematitian, but as a team, we fail to utilize our best talent.  We fail to prepare for the most important times in games.  We blow time outs at crucial junctures.  We are on our heels and playing reactive football, on both sides of the ball, too much.   We don't find plays that work, then run those plays until the other team figures out how to stop them.  I'm bearish on this changing.  Several years ago, Georgia was singled out by the SEC officials for their hurry up offense and a rule interpretation was implemented to help defenses against hurry up offenses. Think about that, then think about the delay of game penalties and time outs we have blown in the recent years because we were unprepared for the next play.

The offensive line is thin.  We'll need inovative play calling to get guys open in space, without having to ask the linemen to create that space.  We'll need players who are ready to go from the day training camp opens.  We'll need those players to buy in and have each others back.  We'll need coaches that aren't afraid to fail and desperately want to succeed.  Not just succeed, but make the other team's coaches look badly outcoached.

I personally don't think there is any one answer to what has happened over the past few years. When you look at the downfall of large organizations, it is rarely one big thing that is the source of the downfall, it is almost always a plethora of small things that become cumulative.  Any one or two or three of those problems won't cause the downfall. I don't know if it has been a lack of oversight, lack of competence at key positions, or a lack of caring about either.  I do know incremental changes have been made the past two seasons, and we have tangible evidence of a mindset change at the top.  Very top.

Great leaders are adept at knowing personal and organizational weaknesses and isolating them.  Great leaders are adept at knowing what they are good at and maximizing those strengths.  For five plus years, we saw the great leader in Mark Richt.  For the past few, we haven't, at least to the best we can tell (I am willing to say the change in Dcordinator, although a year late, still has time to pay off due to implimentation lag time). 

Do I have faith in Coach Richt's ability to correct what has gone wrong?  I don't know, but I surely want to.  Do I have evidence that my faith wouldn't be misplaced? Absolutely.  There is also evidence that my faith would be.  Mark Richt lost to UCF, but he also was the coach that the SEC had to slow down.  Will he become the guy to slow down again?  To still be in Athens in 2012, I think he has to.

The NCAA needs a Frank Abagnale, Jr.

If you saw the movie Catch Me if You Can, you know the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. The legendary check forger and con man who was ultimately captured and became an asset to the FBI in their war on check forgery. He later became a security consultant of sorts advising Fortune 500 companies on how to keep the bad guys from stealing from you.

The NCAA is to the point where it needs its own Frank Abagnale, Jr. They need a seasoned out of work coach who knows their rule book inside and out...and more importantly knows where the cracks are. A guy that understands tricks like:

• Getting quasi-illiterate kids diplomas from the local Mall
  
• Funneling cash through area church offering plates
  
• Balloon financing programs for cars
  
• The ATM Card for Jocks program
  
• "The room isn't free we just don't collect the rent" lodging program
  
• Using blindness as a learning disability to help basketball players pass the SAT

Each of those is a real example of a recruiting story from the past 10 years. Right now, the NCAA Enforcement Staff is playing checkers while the cheaters are playing chess.

They need an inside man who can help them close the loopholes. I nominate Jackie Sherrill for the position. While not as handsome as charming as Leonardo Dicaprio...he is the kind of guy that would take the bull by the scrotum and attack this problem if paid properly.

Why bring this up?
We're hearing rumblings that a group of rival alumni in Birmingham are playing a game of anything you can do I can do better in regards to pay for play. And the shenanigans certainly are not limited to the shadow of the Vulcan as Ohio State fans well know.

It's one thing for a group of alumni to pool their cash and sneak money to a kid in an organized and disciplined manner. But things aren't quite so subtle any more. Things are getting flat out reckless and careless.

For instance, you shouldn't repeatedly get drunk and tell everyone in ear shot that you paid $50k for the best player in your state. That's not something even your own friends and fans can keep a secret...and no I'm not talking about a GA or Alabama kid.

That said...who can blame kids or their parents for extending their palms? You're broke and sitting in your living room is a coach making more than $2 million a year, a coordinator making more than $500k and sometimes two position coaches who combine to make another $500k. That's four guys who could easily be millionaires sitting in your home asking you to play for them.

What incentive does anyone in the room have not to make sure the kid is taken care of? It's one thing to slip a kid a few bucks, help a parent get a better job or "pay the going rate" as Bear used to say. It's another to have a situation where you're trying to manage a salary cap during your recruiting process.

It's a scary time in college football. And the NCAA needs an entirely different approach to dealing with it.

PWD

*I would've nominated Fulmer, but he's too busy applying for the Tennessee AD job.

Hoop Recruiting News

Georgia apparently landed John Cannon (6'10" Center from NC) for the 2011 recruiting class. Georgia beat out Northwestern, High Point, UNC-Wilmington, Western Carolina, Richmond, ODU, Presbyterian and an offer to be a walk-on from UNC.

That's an offer list more analogous with Dave Bliss, Troy Brewer and Steve Newman than Kentavious Caldwell. The late offers from Richmond and ODU are a little encouraging, but jeez. I don't get it. Why with all the talent in the world for 2011 and 2012 in this state is our coaching staff up in North Carolina spending time chasing a kid that hasn't drawn any meaningful major college interest. Bizarre.

As a point of perspective, I think it's helpful to remember that the 1983 Final Four team had four McDonald's All-American recruits on it. 'Nique would've made five had he stuck around for his senior year. If we ever want to return to the biggest dance, we're going to have to get into those kinds of living rooms and close the sale.

On a different note
Former UT signee Kevin Ware looks to have untangled himself from a sticky situation with a "runner." The NY Times details his situation. The raw manipulation the UCF coaching staff is implicated in here is pretty seedy. The idea of allowing yourself as a coach to "secretly listen in" on a call between a recruit and a runner is pretty out there in terms of manipulation.

Here's hoping Ware or Ryan Harrow (NC State transfer and former 5 star PG) find happiness in Athens along with Shaq Goodwin, Jordan Adams and others.

PWD

The Door is Open...just walk through it

Nothing accelerates a change in the power structure within a conference like coaching changes...regardless of the sport. There's only so many wins to go around. UF fans point to Spurrier's arrival as their defining moment, but it didn't hurt that Dooley retired, Dye went on probation and LSU fell off a cliff.

You could argue the same with Richt's arrival in Athens. It didn't hurt that Spurrier resigned, Bama was in disarray and Fulmer was wildly erratic.

In hoops, Coach Fox has a massive window of opportunity.

• Georgia Tech's in state recruiting machine is on hold with the departure of Coach Hewitt.
  
• Tennessee is in purgatory pending their NCAA verdict, and they just lost arguably their most successful coach in history.
  
• With the exception of Mike Anderson at Arkansas, the coaching in the SEC West is average at best.

Sure...Calipari has Kentucky rolling, Donovan isn't going anywhere, and Stallings is the model of consistency. But there's enough wins to go around to deal with the rest of the league.

And we geography on our side.

The 2012 recruiting class has overwhelming in state talent. The Rivals Top 150 for 2012 has 14 in state players as well as two more Georgia natives playing at Oak Hill in Virginia. 10 of those 16 kids are ranked in the Top 100.

As a point of comparison, these states have the following Top 150 counts:

14 - Texas (High Major schools in state: 4 + TCU)
12 - California (High Major schools in state: 4)
7 - Florida (High Major schools in state: 4)
5 - PA (High Major schools in state: 3)
5 - OH (High Major Schools in state: 2 + Xavier)
5 - MI (High Major Schools in State: 2)
3 - Illinois (High Major schools in state: 2)
3 - NY (High Major schools in state: 2)
2 - NJ (High Major schools in state: 2)

The reason I picked those states was based on their population rank: (Per Wikipedia as of '08)

1. California - 37.1 million
2. Texas - 25.1 million
3. New York - 19.3 million
4. Florida - 18.8 million
5. Illinois - 12.8 million
6. Pennsylvania - 12.7 million
7. Ohio - 11.5 million
8. Michigan - 9.8 million
9. Georgia - 9.6 million

With less than 1/3 the population of California, we have more in state talent. Now...someone will shoot back "Yeah, but everyone recruits Georgia." Well...no kidding. Everyone recruits NY, NJ, CA and Texas, too.

Some of our biggest competition for in state talent the past few years has been Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Alabama. We have invested more in facilities than those guys ($45 million in basketball over the past 5 years). Our coaching staff is at least as stable if not more so than those. And our basketball team advanced as far or further in the tourney last year.

Get them to sign on the line that is dotted.

By the way -- I'm hearing good things about our chances with Kevin Ware, the former Tennessee signee who is ranked #56 overall in the 2011 recruiting class by Rivals.com, and he's a Top 15 guy at his position (Shooting Guard). The Vols, with the SEC's encouragement, will likely end up giving him a full release the way UGA gave Mohamed Abukar a full release to sign with UF after the Harrick saga.

Additionally, our chances are decent to land Ari Stewart as a transfer from Wake. Stewart is a 6'7" 205 lb sophomore forward who averaged 8.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year. He's transferring after finding life miserable on the 8-24 Demon Deacons. His points and rebounds were a little higher until things went sour in Feb. with his coach. Coming out of HS, Stewart was the #52 ranked prospect in the nation. He would have to sit out a year if he transferred.

As far as scholarships available, Georgia looks to have 1 scholarship available for 2011 signees as Connor Nolte (Jr.), former walk-on, is most likely on a year to year deal. Plus, we may get Trey and/or Travis scholarship.

If we needed an additional scholarship for 2011, we have a transfer candidate in Vincent Williams. Williams averaged 5.7 minutes in 20 games of our 33 games. Williams only played in 10 of 23 games against High Major teams plus Temple and Xavier. Kids are pretty smart. If they think you're recruiting way over them, they know what to do.

For 2012, we have scholarships from Conner, Gerald, Dustin, Trey and Travis, and that assumes no additional attrition.

The point ... the door is open. We no longer have a facilities excuse, a university commitment excuse, a rodeo excuse, or an excuse related to the tenure of our own coach vs. that of our rivals.

Now is the time to close the deal on a monster class. Separately...I hear great rumblings towards William "Shaq" Goodwin (PF Ranked #20 nationally by Rivals), Jordan Adams (SG/SF ranked #55 nationally by Rivals) and Evan Nolte (SF ranked #59 nationally by Rivals). Those guys would form the core of a very good class, but we'll need a Center and a PG, too.

PWD

Jay Rome and Malcolm Mitchell Video

More Isaiah Crowell Video

PWD