I'm surprised that Kelly is leaving Notre Dame especially since they're all but certain to get a playoff seat. OK, Notre Dame would need some help. How much cash did LSU offer him? Also, I wonder if Notre Dame would go after Urban Meyer. Sucks Kelly going to a conference rival.
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Brian Kelly to LSU
- Thread starter Leakfan12
- Start date
That one AND the Lincoln Riley move to SC (west) surprised me. In BOTH cases, on balance you’d tend to rate them “LATERAL moves”—in fact in KELLY and NotreDame’s case usually a Coach’s lifelong “top choice” (due to the all the emotional socio-historical factors connected to why guys wanna go there in the FIRST place)...In Riley’s case of course there’s talk out there about him maybe “ducking” out of the SEC move and the greater challenge...though MYSELF, I tend to think that (failing background knowledge of his own history and any deep seated desire to go there-in-particular—and some guys DO crave going to certain historically “once great programs” LIKE USC) in this case maybe “MAJOR MONEY” might simply be the answer there.
Anyway, regardless, “the carrousel keeps turning” and the surprises keep coming!
(And you gotta WONDER what’s going through Urban Meyer’s mind now...I doubt he EVER thought the Irish job was about to open up any time soon...and here he is having long since headed another way, made certain commitments that may or may NOT be so solid now, and may well have subsequently tainted himself and his shot at EVER heading up things in Southbend now, btw.
Life is strange.)
And speaking of “possible ducking out of the SEC”, what’s all this talk suddenly about Bo Nix maybe thinking of coming to the Gators—and Napier maybe WANTING him (according to at least ONE SEC pundit who reports: “...with no clear #1 at UF after neither Jones nor Richardson had particularly standout seasons”)???
I’m not even sure where to BEGIN parsing that one!
I mean, I’ve heard Nix is considering the transfer portal out of Auburn, and way BACK there MacEllwane went after Nix as a potential Gator recruit, but it just seems to fall apart after that...Jones was uneven, showing moments of brilliance but an overall failure to progress as the season closed, but (IF he stayed) he’d remain a stalwart backup to RICHARSON in my view—who continues to steadily evolve as one of the more promising young QBs in college football! I’m just hoping Napier can KEEP him...IMHO, Billy’d have to be NUTS to risk running him out of Gainesville just to “SEE” if the Bo Nix we’ve now well-SEEN operate in the SEC (not poorly at all, much of the time—but hardly potential future “Heisman material” either)...There’s even SOME talk that he wants out of the SEC himself, in the hope that he’d face less stringent defenses elsewhere.
AND, if he went ANYWHERE down this way, it would more likely be to LSU, a stadium, fan base and program he has voiced admiration for and who HAS a clearer “open space” at starting QB heading towards 2022.
Why would Napier risk offending AR right off the bat by going on some unlikely “fishing expedition” for NIX.
I mean, DAMN!
You read and/or HEAR the most absurd rumors and tall tales reported as “news stories” when there’s THIS much turnover and movement going on at the end of such a wild regular season.
But that’s the thing:
This has been, is and continues to BE the most jumbled, confused and befuddling single “sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb” season as I have seen or can remember! EVER! And it just KEEPS ON getting weirder, wilder!
And NOW the whole thing appears to be breaking down into a huge game of “Musical Chairs”!
I’m not even sure where to BEGIN parsing that one!
I mean, I’ve heard Nix is considering the transfer portal out of Auburn, and way BACK there MacEllwane went after Nix as a potential Gator recruit, but it just seems to fall apart after that...Jones was uneven, showing moments of brilliance but an overall failure to progress as the season closed, but (IF he stayed) he’d remain a stalwart backup to RICHARSON in my view—who continues to steadily evolve as one of the more promising young QBs in college football! I’m just hoping Napier can KEEP him...IMHO, Billy’d have to be NUTS to risk running him out of Gainesville just to “SEE” if the Bo Nix we’ve now well-SEEN operate in the SEC (not poorly at all, much of the time—but hardly potential future “Heisman material” either)...There’s even SOME talk that he wants out of the SEC himself, in the hope that he’d face less stringent defenses elsewhere.
AND, if he went ANYWHERE down this way, it would more likely be to LSU, a stadium, fan base and program he has voiced admiration for and who HAS a clearer “open space” at starting QB heading towards 2022.
Why would Napier risk offending AR right off the bat by going on some unlikely “fishing expedition” for NIX.
I mean, DAMN!
You read and/or HEAR the most absurd rumors and tall tales reported as “news stories” when there’s THIS much turnover and movement going on at the end of such a wild regular season.
But that’s the thing:
This has been, is and continues to BE the most jumbled, confused and befuddling single “sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb” season as I have seen or can remember! EVER! And it just KEEPS ON getting weirder, wilder!
And NOW the whole thing appears to be breaking down into a huge game of “Musical Chairs”!
Lol...exactly.
I can see why Brian Kelly would leave Notre Dame. The academic requirements between Notre Dame and LSU may not seem like much to us, but to some of these athletes it is a big deal. When Notre Dame added a freshman calculus requirement in 1989, they lost their ability to recruit top athletes who, quite frankly, cannot meet the academic requirements. Since this is a Florida board I will shift the conversation to Florida. I have been tracking the number of athletes that Florida has lost due to its academic requirements being higher than FSU, Alabama, and Georgia. I have no idea how to state this in a politically correct manner, so I will just say it: requiring athletes to meet high academic standards hurts recruiting. The number of 5-star athletes who can also do calculus or maintain a decent GPA or score well on the ASVAB is rather minuscule. Brian Kelly realized that at LSU he can grab any athlete who can spell his name correctly two times out of three attempts and recruit that kid to his team. It helps that LSU has the infrastructure to support two national championships from two different coaches. Now if you are wondering why Kelly inquired about the Florida job even though I just stated that Florida has higher academic requirements I will just say that Florida's academic requirements for athletes is not as high as Notre Dame's or Georgia Tech's--both of them require athletes to do do calculus in their freshman year whereas Florida does not. Florida's academic "scale" is higher than any other SEC school except Vanderbilt, and is on par with the other AAU schools of Texas A&M and now Texas. (On a related note, the rise of UTSA is hurting both Texas and Texas A&M by poaching those athletes who cannot meet those academic requirements. The few unicorns in the state of Texas will go to Baylor or Rice.)
This does not mean that Florida should lower its academic requirements to help with recruiting. No way. Florida is proud to be a top 5 public university, and it has to balance academics across all facets of the university to maintain both the top 5 list in US. News & World Report, and more importantly, for the Association of American Universities (AAU).
Summary: Brian Kelly wants to coach at a school where it is easier to recruit, and where it is easier to reach a national championship due to the work of his predecessors.
This does not mean that Florida should lower its academic requirements to help with recruiting. No way. Florida is proud to be a top 5 public university, and it has to balance academics across all facets of the university to maintain both the top 5 list in US. News & World Report, and more importantly, for the Association of American Universities (AAU).
Summary: Brian Kelly wants to coach at a school where it is easier to recruit, and where it is easier to reach a national championship due to the work of his predecessors.
Right—and mind you, Kelly himself at Notre Dame AND of COURSE more than one Head Coach here at UF HAS managed to recruit top athletes and, ultimately, to grab a few National Championships along the way, after all (as has the Irish, of course). So one DOESN’T HAVE to forgo “higher academic standards” in order to also reach for excellence in sports!
I for one wouldn’t have things any other way: I was a driven student who had his choice of schools when I was ready for college—but I was ALSO a lifelong Gator fan...Fortunately, Florida’s status in the fields I was interested in pursuing then (Back then, they actually were able to unblushingly advertise themselves as “the Harvard of the South”!) meant that it was possible for me “to have my cake and eat it too”: I went to “the top UNIVERSITY in the state SCHOLASTICALLY”—with the football team I’d rooted for all my life!
Sooner or later (and of course, NOW once again, we are “hoping and praying” that) we will now build and achieve greatness on the road back to annual Championship-level goals. Yes, our academic standards have been and ARE sometimes a bit of a drawback in landing and/or KEEPING new and prospective recruits, but most of the rest of us who went to UF really wouldn’t have things any other way.
I was and AM proud of our school in every way—ESPECIALLY the QUALITY of that education! It was, in my case, for my fellows, and yes, the majority even of the athletes who made it through to graduation, a positive, even advantageous experience and accomplishment. That goes all the more for the (let’s be realistic) greater portion of those athletes who did NOT gain professional careers as a result but DID graduate: They had a valuable, highly-regarded degree at a very well-thought-of, nationally-recognized University.
Now, although I know there is extra “support” in place here for these young men, sometimes coming from situations where their academic skills were neither greatly required nor stressed, it has occurred to me before now that perhaps even MORE such programs to “bring them along” and “further develop and support” their habits and skills on that side of things—both the general “necessities” AND certain subjects’ specific “lacking in certain areas” as the case may be—requires an even more extensive investment of time, effort and whatever expenses might be involved (in equipment, study areas, and tutors to help them), as I understand is ALREADY a part of ongoing upgrades to our whole athletic facility, especially with and over in the new Football Dorms and facilities.
One more reason to COME here: To be able to TELL prospective Gators, “We will do all we can to get you up to speed and help you THROUGH our “superior academic requirements”; after all, we WANT the kinds of young men who will proudly WELCOME that additional “challenge”, especially if it is something that has otherwise seemed to be holding them back thus far.
