By: Chad Wilson – Editor – GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

Each year week two of the college football season has the effect of adjusting one’s glasses after week one’s events.  2018 is no different.  Some fan bases were ready to dump out their whole program after the opening week while others were buying tickets for the college football playoffs.  Many this week were forced to adjust their plans.  Here’s what week two showed me.

Fear for the Spear

The Florida State Seminoles were all the talk after week one when they were handled by Virginia Tech in prime time on Labor Day.  Despite the putrid performance,  the prevailing thought going into week two was that Florida St. was going to do onto other as they have had done onto them when Samford came to town.  By halftime,  viewers of the game were checking to see if perhaps Stan was misspelled as Sam as the Seminoles were once again getting dominated.  Watching the contest,  Florida St. appears to lack discipline.  I am sure the rival fan bases on Twitter want to chalk it all up to the current coaching staff because that’s a whole lot more fun than saying it’s a holdover from the Jimbo era but it’s still too early to tell.  What I do know is that it’s going to be a long season for the Noles if the fundamentals and some self control don’t GPS their way to Tallahassee. Blown coverages, missed blocks, tackles and assignments will only leave you punch drunk against the likes of Syracuse, Louisville, Miami and Clemson coming up on the schedule. The positive for Florida St. for me continues to be Deondre Francois.  I continue to be impressed by his poise, mechanics, accuracy and overall skill in these pair of bad team performances.  The negative for Florida St. is that they now must take this show on the road and the scenes have not been hitting right.

Cardinal Ways in the Pac-12

While some programs are finding ways to get kids in with highly questionable athletics so that they can compete on the field,  Stanford has found ways to turn away potential athletes due to academics.  Despite their M.O. they are finding ways to stay atop one of college football’s toughest conferences.  The Stanford model, I am sure,  is part of many ongoing studies across America at both the high school and college level.  What I saw when I cut on the tape was what you always expect to see in a Stanford win and that’s domination at the point of attack.  I was in attendance when Bryce Love went off on USC’s defense last year.  This year’s performance was not as spectacular but what was impressive was the Wall of China Stanford set up on pass plays. The Pinesol fresh pocket that K.J. Costello set up in all game allowed for timely passing and extended drives.  On the flip side, no such efforts were made by USC as Stanford limited USC’s ground game and the young QB J.T. Daniels’ effectiveness.  I am not sure if I’ve ever seen a battle before between two QBs with first names so bad that they both opted for initials instead. Getting back to serious matters, USC is young and clearly lacking the signature marquee running back that we have come to expect in Scarlett and Gold. The 2018 Trojans don’t appear to be able to uphold the wishes of the fanbase and will only make for unrest come November.  There’s too much smog in LA to fly banners over the Colosseum like they do in Miami Gardens, FL but dressing up as empty seats on Saturday is a tactic not above the residents of the City of Angels. Helton needs time.

All He Needed Was to Change the Colors

Over this last three seasons at Florida St.,  Jimbo Fisher was losing his grip in the Clemson series.  The decline in his success vs. Clemson seemed to run similar to his overall deteriorating success with the Seminoles program.  After last season,  he made his abrupt departure and wagon ride to College Station where he was once again greeted with Dabo on the menu.  While a Clemson win was a bit of a forgone conclusion in this contest,  Texas A&M made it every bit the edge of your seat thriller. One could even say that Texas A&M won this game were it not for player haters dressed as referees.  What is evident is that Jimbo can still dial up some play calling and has a wonderful set of WRs and quarterback to work with.  Write down the name Kendrick Rogers.  The sophomore A&M wideout was a full on beast and will turn heads this season.  Clemson,  like most winning programs,  was great in the trenches and has some playmaking WRs themselves.  Because of what they bring to the table,  I think Texas A&M has as good a chance of upsetting Bama as anyone (if there is anyone).  Where Bama might be a tad weak,  A&M is strong.  The game is in Tuscaloosa though,  so let me put away the liquor.

A Dash of Cold Water to the Face in Gainesville

Florida Gator fans got a headache laughing at their Big 3 state of Florida brethren Miami and Florida St. last week.  Further tickling their belly was a Tennessee blowout loss to West Virginia.  This Saturday night provided the ominous blue and red lights in the rear view mirror of a dope smoking driver,  also known as a blown high.  I had a high top fade and thought British Knights sneakers were cool the last time Kentucky defeated Florida on a football field.  Saturday Night, the Wildcats capped off what was a dismal night for me personally (more on that later) when they upended the Gators 27-16 in the Swamp. The problems were clear.  Florida was defeated at the line of scrimmage.  While Florida fans were envisioning a return to the Urban Meyer days after hog tying Charleston Southern in week one,  they were ignoring the inability to dominate on the offensive line against the FCS foe.  That trouble reared it’s ugly head against this SEC combatant.  However,  the more troublesome sight was Florida’s defensive line getting moved out of the way by Kentucky like an expired department store display by an employee.  Kentucky fulfilled what many upsets are made of.  They held the ball and scored while limiting the opponent’s ability to do the same. Gator fans should not panic but that’s like telling a baby not to take a dump in a diaper.  It’s going to take some time for the program to adopt the physical nature that Mullen wants to impose.  Colorado St. should allow for some tear drying ahead of another real test in Knoxville in two weeks.

The Beast is Forming in the East

Yes,  I know that Georgia played in the National Championship game and almost won it last season.  However,  many felt that Kirby Smart had inherited a very talented and experienced team.  Some thought / hoped that it would take some time to get the young program back up to speed and get to the championship again. Start biting your nails.  The Georgia team I saw vs. South Carolina on Saturday looked like Alabama East Campus.  The formula is the same:  Big on the offensive line with flawless execution.  Destructive on the defensive front with the intent of ruining every offensive play like whack vocals over a dope soundtrack. Finally, competent quarterback play combined with multiple running backs who are allergic to laying on the turf and you have confetti fever in January.  Georgia won on both sides of the line of scrimmage all game long.  South Carolina could not tackle the Georgia running backs or wide receivers for that matter.  The Bulldogs’ wide receiver Mecole Hardman is the explosive playmaker that keeps opposing teams’ safeties from being too nosey about the UGA run game.  It’s all adding up for a disaster for SEC East opponents as Kirby has not even matured his sprawling field of recruited 5 stars yet.  If I were into emojis I would post multiple face palm ones right here.  Kirby’s going to get some coaches in the SEC East a Ryder truck and Century 21 sponsorship.

Other things of Note

I told you Michigan fans not to worry. Michigan sprayed the right guard and got the stink off of that Notre Dame performance nicely.  Granted it was a directional school to the rescue but the Wolverines showed the fans that the offense does work and that the defense can keep people out of the end zone.

Chip Kelly may hope that the NCAA says his ban has not expired and get him out of the mess he’s in over in Westwood.  Oklahoma damn near hung half a hundy on the man with the master plan in their 49-21 route of the Cubs. With Saturday’s loss in Norman,  Chip Kelly has tasted the sweet wine of winning only once in his last 18 games.  If this Fresno St. game this Saturday doesn’t produce a bottle of spirits then there’s no telling when the cork will be popped in this comeback event.

In more trouble in the Pac-12 than Chip is Kevin Sumlin.  It’s not just that he’s 0-2 in Tucson, it’s that he seems to be too far away from winning.  Yes, I know that getting competent quarterback play after Rich Rodriguez is similar to getting laughs on stage after following Kevin Hart but give me a D for defense Wildcat fans. Houston is not supposed to puncture you for 31 by the half and 551 total yards when you are a proud member of the Pac-12.  Sumlin has a get right quick game vs. Southern Utah this Saturday followed by a date with a jilted lover at Oregon St. in two weeks.  Let’s hope that Arizona can dust up these two opponents.

Several cactus away in Tempe,  ole Herman Edwards was playing to win the game and that he did vs. Michigan St.  Two games into his college football coaching debut and Herm has a livestock head to hang up on the wall.  Good old fashion defense,  mixed in with that new era hurry up offense funk and Edwards might have a hit record at Arizona St.  We’ll keep listening to the rest of the cassette tape to see if he has a grammy on deck.

I see you Mississippi St……….

Did some Ole Miss defensive players get red cards or placed in a penalty box in the first half?  Were they playing with 11 men out there?

Finally,  Saturday Night,  I experienced what no parent ever wants to experience watching their child play football.  Two plays into the defensive series of the Florida vs. Kentucky game,  my son went down holding his knee.  The same way you can spot your child from across the field just by the way they walk, jog or carry themselves is the same way you know when an injury is serious.  Instantly I knew Marco Wilson’s season was over.  It’s a sobering experience that we’ve been through before.  In the days since,  I’ve had a chance to reflect on a number of things.  I know this will fall on deaf ears because fans cannot help themselves but the truth of the matter is that these young men you see playing every Saturday are putting their bodies on the line to entertain you.  It takes a tremendous amount of time, effort and struggle to get prepared to give you their best when the lights come on.  It’s even more mentally draining when a serious injury occurs and all that hard work is instantly rendered useless.  The mountain that has to be climbed to get back to action would be too tall for most of us to consider climbing.  As you experience the ups and downs of your teams’ performance each week,  bear in mind what it takes for those young men to don your favorite team’s colors and attempt to make you happy.  Before you tweet,  consider the human effort involved to accomplish what you witness every Saturday.  I appreciate all the support that has been shown to Marco, myself and my family by those of you who reached out both privately and publicly.  It’s an ACL,  it’s not life threatening.  He’ll be back,  he’s one of the most mentally strong people I know.

Chad Wilson – Editor – GridironStuds Blog
Twitter: @GridironStuds

The long awaited beginning of the 2018 college football season has arrived and it featured some marquee matchups over the Labor Day weekend.  For fanbases out there,  the joy was flowing as their teams were off to a rocking start.  For others,  it can seem like the season is over before it has really had an opportunity to start.  In the first week of a season,  my focus is usually on the fundamentals that a team brings to the table.  So for me,  special teams along with blocking and tackling is what catches my eye as I try to determine who will live up to the hype,  who was all talk in the offseason and who might sneak up on people.  Here’s a rundown of the key things I noticed in week one.

Business as Usual in Tuscaloosa

For all of you waiting for the demise of Alabama football,  sorry you’re already in the position to say,  wait till next year.  The Alabama team that I saw on the field to kick of the season vs. Louisville played like they lost the championship game last season.  Alabama is back and looked as good as they have looked at any time during the last decade.  Bama’s reign of terror will not be taking this year off.  The Crimson Tide featured a pair of electric kick returns and a strong place kicker to go along with solid play in the trenches and the usual can’t get them to the ground running backs (where does Nick keep finding them?).

What should really scare the living pigskin out of you is the added element of the passing game that was on display in Camping World Stadium.  We all know the limitations of former Bama starting QB Jalen Hurts.  Well those aren’t the limitations of new starter Tua Tagovailoa.  The lefty Hawaiian born Samoan can sling it and Alabama has a trio of wideouts that can hurt you.  Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith are explosive and end zone friendly.  Louisville is no cupcake but the Crimson Tide made them look delicious nonetheless.  The Cardinals have a future with Jawon Pass at QB and some young playmakers at the skill positions but this date with Alabama to open the season was a nightmare.

#FireHarbaugh May Be a Bit Premature

Count the Wolverine faithful amongst the fanbases in disarray at the end of this first weekend of play.  Growing quickly weary of the length of time to realize the revival,  Michigan fans were none too pleased to watch their team get dissed by Notre Dame on Saturday night.  Going into this game,  I was puzzled by the expectations by the media, fans and bookies.  Michigan went into the game as a road favorite against a Notre Dame team that was amongst the top ranked in 2017 and was returning their quarterback.

It seems Brian Kelly may indeed be the guy that the Fighting Irish program needed and once again he features a solid football team.  Of note in the contest was the way Notre Dame played up front on both sides of the ball.  Despite losing their top two offensive linemen to the draft,  Notre Dame did well to move the Michigan defensive front on run plays and stall them from their pressure on pass plays.  When you can play like that upfront you are going to win a good amount of games so if you are a Notre Dame hater,  just look away.

Offensively,  I expected a Harbaugh coached Michigan team to be more physical upfront.  I am not sure if that’s a problem on their part or a serious plus for Notre Dame.  What I do know is that Michigan fans need to calm down.  This was a damn good football team that the Wolverines opened up with on the road and a quick glance of the schedule indicates that they’ll face nothing of this kind until at least a home visit from Penn St. on November 3rd.  That’s plenty of time to smooth out the wrinkles.

Rough Start for Rocky Top

I am not sure what the hopefuls in Knoxville were expecting in week one but I’m pretty sure it was a win.  Needless to say they did not get that,  not even close.  Early on you could sense a little trouble for Tennessee as their offensive line could not keep a predominantly three man front for WVU out of the Volunteer backfield.  The Vols looked a little helter skelter to begin the game which is understandable under a brand new head coach.  What’s troubling is that after Tennessee had a chance to pull themselves together at the half,  they came out and featured their worse quarter of play in the third.

Behind Will Grier’s brilliance,  the Mountaineers outscored Tennessee 20-7 after the intermission and turned this matchup into a laugher.  Some have been up in the air about Grier’s Heisman worthiness.  I don’t know if he has the strength to hold that heavy trophy but he is a legitimate quarterback with a chance to put up some eye popping numbers.  He kicked off the Heisman campaign with 429 yards and 5 touchdowns against zero INTs.  While Grier deserves credit for his nifty quarterback play,  more praise should be heaped upon West Virginia’s offensive line which kept the Moutaineer backfield from leaking oil and gave the Heisman candidate plenty of time to apply the scalpel to the Tennessee pass defense.  WVU will make some noise in the Big 12.

Canes Miss the Mark in Texas

I am a firm believer in disappointment has it’s roots in expectations.  For years Miami fans have been declaring the Canes to be back and after last year’s double digit win campaign,  it seemed the feeling of old may finally come around.  However,  the close out of the 2017 campaign was not something that should have been ignored.  A closer look at the 2017 ledger reveals that there were few real tests until Notre Dame came to town in mid November.  Getting that Fighting Irish game at home was everything as the Miami crowd had all the feeling of 2001.  Unfortunately,  the ND win was the peak of 2017 and the close out revealed that the rebuild was still going to take time.

LSU reopened the wounds that still had scabs from the tail end of the 2017 season.  Inconsistency and inaccuracy plagued Canes QB Malik Rosier in the final three games of last season and it was upon him like calamine lotion in the opener vs. LSU.  Miami has a bevy of talented WRs who can do damage with the ball in their hands but Rosier had trouble hitting them.  While some wanted to pour some blame on the Miami offensive line,  I did not see that.  I thought the offensive line played a solid game especially when it came to pass blocking.  Rosier had time to throw and I was very impressed with the blitz pick up most of the time.

The biggest shock for me was the interior of Miami’s defense.  Right down the middle was an issue for the Canes and if not fixed quickly,  it will result in some wins turned into losses in 2018.  To mask some of those troubles,  Miami got a little too blitz happy and did so off of the edges where they weren’t having the problem.  I thought LSU showed significant trouble blocking Miami’s ends but when the Canes lightened up the middle with pressure off the edges,  big plays sprung up like the 50 yard run by Nick Brossette in the first half that set the course of the game.  While LSU fans were elated at having a QB that appeared to be somewhat of a competent passer,  I will reserve my kudos until Joe Burrow can actually complete 50% of his passes and throw for more that 140 yards.

Blow the Whistle in Tally

I’ll raise my hand if I’m in a room where the question is asked “who was was not impressed with Florida St.’s offseason activities”.  To voice those concerns out loud would lead to the charge of being a hater and that carries a lifetime social sentence these days.  It was what we thought it was and it got pulled up on the hook on Labor Day Night.  Of all the teams that took it on the chin unexpectedly this weekend,  Florida St. seems to be the team on the shakiest legs.  Remember how I told you that I focus on the fundamentals in week one?  Well they were missing for the men in black on Monday Night.  From special teams to blocking to tackling,  the performance by FSU was a nose holding affair.  The first series looked like a Saturday morning walk through for Virginia Tech as they marched down the field like the Nazis through Paris.

The pre-kickoff hype was as elevated as it has ever been which indicates that the Seminole hopeful were 100% behind the approach of new coach Willie Taggert.  By halftime,  the fanbase acted like someone who purchased a VCR on a street corner only to find neatly packed bricks when they opened the box.  Mostly everything was a struggle for the Seminoles.  Taggert’s simple offensive approach may have been suitable against the AAC opponents of the World but its the equivalent of an 80 mph fastball in these big leagues and V-Tech was all about bat flips in this game.

What was positive for FSU is the return of Deondre Francois.  I felt he was a bright spot despite the crumbling of what was around him.  Schematically, he will be at a disadvantage in most of the big games the Seminoles play this season but Francois’ talent may bail them out of a few showdowns. I also liked the way Keith Gavin showed up early and throughout even when Florida St. was not looking their best.  Virginia Tech may have been a bit underrated coming in.  They did bringt a ton of energy to this contest but I will have to see some more to get a proper read.  Florida St. is forced to run it up on Samford this weekend to partially remove the stain this performance put on their 2018 t-shirt.

Other quick observations

We all love James Franklin at Penn St. but he almost put himself on the front page with a near huge upset loss to Appalachain St.  Fortunately,  coach has enough good will in the bank to absorb this withdrawal but folks are already wondering just how much Saquon Barkley was responsible for the 2017 Nittany Lion success.

There was no escape for Chip Kelly in Los Angeles.  Disaster struck when Kelly lost what was perceived to be a winnable game at home against Cincinnati.  Bruin fans not known to panic or even care at times (did you see the stadium?) should not start now.  Kelly is in rebuild mode and is not working with his typical style quarterback in Michigan transfer Wilton Spreight.  In fact,  Dorian Thompson-Robinson looked more the part off the bench in relief of Spreight.  With Oklahoma, Fresno St., Colorado and Washington up next,  I would order up some tall lattes if I was a Bruin fan and get to sipping.  It could be a while before we see Chip’s first win in powder blue.

Speaking of Oklahoma,  they weren’t about to play games with Lane Kiffin and FAU.  The point spread was generous in favor of Oklahoma leading up to this contest but given how FAU performed in 2017 and Kiffin’s social media profile,  some thought the Owls could open up some big eyes vs. the Sooners.  Black eyes were more like it.  By the end of the first quarter,  Oklahoma put the dog in the truck and plucked the Owls 28-0 enroute to a 63-14 woodshedder.

I mentioned Fresno St. as a problem for UCLA in a couple of weeks.  Before you say I’ve been at grandpa’s liquor cabinet,  did you see them open that can on Idaho? The Bulldogs scored the most points of anyone on Saturday in their 79-13 win over the Vandalized.  While Idaho are no World beaters,  there’s something to be said for that kind of output.  Fresno may be a team to watch but I’m not sure.

What an opening week for Florida Gator fans. For starters the Dan Mullen era kicked off with a greeting of expectations as Florida went out and handled Charleston Southern 53-6 in the Swamp.  Before anyone takes a piss on this accomplishment,  lets not forget the offensive struggles that Florida has experienced over the last several years.  During the Jim McElwain era,  Florida had games of 36-7 vs. UAB, 32-0 vs. North Texas, 24-7 vs. UMass, 20-14 vs. FAU and 31-24 vs. East Carolina.  That’s five what would be considered inferior opponents in which the Gators could not score 40 points or more.  There’s just something about scoring half a hundred.  It wasn’t just the points scored either,  it was just the way that it happened.  Florida scored early and often.  Embattled quarterback Felipe Franks tossed five touchdown passes in the first half and was a spectator in the 2nd half.  The weekend of joy was capped for Gator fans when Miami, FSU and Tennessee all lost their openers,  something that has not happened in over 30+ years.

I continue to be disgusted with the helmet to helmet ejection rule in college football.  I was in attendance Saturday Night when Charleston Southern linebacker Edward King was ejected from their game vs. Florida for a tackle on quarterback Felipe Franks on the second play from scrimmage.  Franks was attempting to slide and King went low to make the tackle and his helmet collided with Franks’ resulting in the ejection. Could this have been avoided?  Yes.  Should King have been kicked out? No.  You are amped up to begin a football game and against a mighty opponent like Florida,  you want to make plays.  It was a mistake on King’s part during the course of playing a game.  It was not malicious.  Add to this the fact that King is a Florida native from Hollywood.  I am certain that his family made the trip up from South Florida to get this rare chance to see him not only play against a marquee opponent but do so in his home state.  Three plays into the game and it’s over.  A similar ejection happened to Miami cornerback Trajan Bandy in a nationally televised prime time game in AT&T stadium vs. LSU.  This rule is a tragedy to college football.  It must be amended now!

Finally,  while Zach Smith may be looking to sue Brett McMurphy,  Oregon St. may want to put in a claim as well.  The Buckeyes looked like a team that had their cereal proliferated with urine when they took to the field Saturday.  That was not some directional school they hung double 7’s up on.   That opponent was a competitor in the Pacific-12 conference.   It was an auspicious start for the Beavers’ Jonathan Smith but I can’t help but feel that if McMurphy had not opened his fat mouth,  this game would’ve just been 63-31 instead.  As I suspected,  Ohio St. will be a heavily motivated team this season to go along with heavily talented.

 

 

By: Chad Wilson – Editor – GridironStuds Blog 
Twitter: @GridironStuds

If you been watching season 3 of Last Chance U on Netflix,  you have been overly confronted with a particular term.  No,  it’s not the F-word that head coach Jason Brown is most certainly married to.  It’s the term “D-1 Bounceback”.  What’s a D1 bounceback and how are they taking over college football?  We’ll discuss it in this article.

What’s a D1 bounceback?  The general definition is a prospect that was once at a higher level Division I football program and for any number of reasons had to leave and is at a smaller program,  usually a junior college looking to seek an opportunity at another college football program.  My definition is a prospect, who despite all the talent in the World, has failed to take personal responsibility and accountability for their actions thus ruining a grand opportunity at a high profile university and is seeking a chance to go to another program where the coaching staff will treat them better.  Rather long winded isn’t it?  Harsh isn’t it?  You know I’m right don’t you?

Like any other topic in this social media era,  there will be people that will fall on both sides of an argument.  Therefore,  I know there will be a considerable amount of people who will not agree with my definition of a D1 bounceback or the general tone of this article.  Hey,  it’s a free country.  What I am noticing on season 3 of Last Chance U is that D1 bouncebacks typically are not a grateful bunch.  The attitude seems to be that the reason I got dismissed from the D1 program that I was at was not my fault (coach was trippin) and I am better than the place where I have now landed.  So,  because that is my mindset,  I will continue the behavior that got me here and expect the coaches to cater to me and give me everything I want.  Point to the lie.  I know, perhaps some of the bouncebacks have enough self-awareness to correct their behavior and use their second chance the way it was intended.  However,  the general mindset is not so inclined.

The D1 bouncebacks demand a ton of attention and they get it too as coaches get mesmerized by their athletic potential.   Therein lies the problem.  What I am noticing around college football is catering to those D1 bouncebacks and those with the D1 bounceback mentality.  This catering is being done at the expense of some talented athletes that have made every effort to do things the right way.  This is not just happening at Independence Community College,  the subject of Last Chance U but at several lower tier FBC, FCS and Division II schools.

Jucos, FCS and Division II schools are out hunting for prospects that couldn’t get their act together at the programs we see playing on national television each week. These lower tier programs are willing to go through all the headache that these wayward young men will bring just to get them on the field and try to win football games so they can climb up in the coaching ranks.  When the D1 bouncebacks arrive on campus they are inserted on the depth chart ahead of the guys who pledged to the program out of high school.  They are inserted ahead of the guys who get up on time for class, workouts and tutor sessions.  The bouncebacks get the attention from the coaches, the personnel people and yes,  the publicly traded media companies like Netflix.   When that D1 bounceback that plays your position lands on your roster,  you will have to fight for every ounce of what you can get out of that program after that.  Is that right?

These days,  coaching staffs are more comprised by one’s ability to recruit and manage explosive personalities than they are compiled by those who can actually teach technique and build schemes.  It’s about the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s they say.  Well that’s only partially true.  Jimmy and Joe need to be down for the cause if they are going to be a winner on the field and in life.  Perhaps all their lives,  Jimmy and Joe have been allowed to skate by on personal responsibility because they are so good playing ball.  Coaching staffs seem to be eager to continue this trend as they give Jimmy and Joe things they haven’t earned.  The message being sent to Jimmy and Joe coming out of high school is that I can do what I want and if it messes up,  some other coach somewhere will take me and I’ll “bounceback”.  In other words,  there is a nice big net below me so I will walk across this line without a care in the world.  There’s no need to wonder why these prospects typically bounce from place to place eventually landing in the streets where life offers few bounceback opportunities.  You failed him coach!

If you want Jimmy and Joe to truly bounceback,  put him on depth chart behind the guy that is going to class, meeting with his tutor, being respectful to coaches and finishing his workouts.  Is he going to cry? Yes.  Will he say he’s going home? Yes.  Will he be a malcontent? Yes.  Will it be hard for you as a coach? Yes.  Should you be up for that challenge as a coach? Yes.  When that bounceback,  bounces back and lands back at another school that his physical talent is worthy of, he will have filled in the missing piece that got him bounced in the first place.  For the others that didn’t have enough air in them to bounce back,  too bad.  At least they did not rob the guys who are doing things right from their well deserved opportunities.  I’m talking about the guys who believed enough in the program and the coaching staff out of high school to give those coaches an opportunity to have a profession.

I welcome your feedback on this article.  Post your comments and thoughts about it on my Twitter page: @GridironStuds