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Archive for the category “Correspondents”

05 Feb 2013

The Denver Kirkland saga (and why the recruiting game is so difficult)

Think back to when you were 17 or 18 years old.  Like me, I’m sure you had no clue where your life was headed.  Now, magnify the stakes.  High school football players are thinking years ahead and their chances of getting into the NFL.  Millions of dollars are potentially on the line.  Indecision sets in.  Every school you visit has solid coaches, tradition, and facilities.  Some offer immediate playing time.  Maybe your family roots for the home-town school, but you have your eyes set on a school hours away.  Making this decision is hard enough.

Apparently, four star Denver Kirkland was taking too long to decide.  On Thursday, rumors began spreading and confusion was rampant.  The move seems almost inconceivable.  You recruit a player for over a year.  He’s a 4-star offensive lineman, the teammate of a recruit you are coveting, and from one of the most powerful high school programs in a state rich with talent (Booker T. Washington High School).  But it happened.  On January 31st, Al Golden and the Miami Hurricanes pulled his scholarship because he wasn’t ready to commit.  Pundits and recruiting analysts were split.  Some couldn’t believe you’d pull an offer for a kid you just spent so much time recruiting.  Others side with the school, noting that you have only so many scholarships and you can’t run the risk of not filling your needs.  In this case, Miami is desperate for defensive lineman.  However, the repercussions and shock-waves set in quickly.  Kirkland’s coach, Ice Harris, took to twitter to blast the school.  He went on the radio the next day to criticize how Al Golden and UM handled the situation.  Miami may have just burnt a crucial bridge and recruiting pipeline.

The Denver Kirkland saga unfolding in Miami is a text-book example of the crazy, zany world of recruiting.  On various message boards, rumors (read: unsubstantiated and nothing publicly reported on) have spread that UM invited Denver Kirkland and his family on campus to talk things over.  If you believe the rumor, UM re-offered Denver Kirkland and the recruiting bridge has not been burned.  The Miami Herald reported on February 2nd that Kirkland said “thanks, but no thanks.”  We really won’t know for sure until Wednesday.  Was it a misunderstanding?  How did UM find a new scholarship for Kirkland after it didn’t exist on Thursday?  What could you possibly say to smooth things over?  One thing is obvious: whoever gets Kirkland is getting a talent.  I think he always wanted to be a Cane, but his trust may have been too damaged to reconcile.  I think he signs at 9:20 AM on Wednesday donning the Florida State hat.  The combination of Ira Denson and Denver Kirkland may just be the answer to the Seminoles woes at offensive line.  Chop em.


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Posted by Duke in ACC only, FSU Correspondent, Predictions, Rankings, Recruiting and tagged , , , , , , , ,
04 Feb 2013
2 Comments

Recruiting rankings matter, but so does depth

National Signing Day is mere days away.  For all intents and purposes, this is college footballs “free agency and draft” all rolled into one.  Your roster is set, the foundation for the next few seasons has been laid.  For an elite program, a few missed recruits can mean the difference between playing for crystal and playing for sugar or oranges… or worse, tires [take your pick of the lot of subpar bowl games].

If you believe what you read on FSU message boards, the sky is falling and football may not be played in September.  That may only be a half-truth; the sky seems to be falling but football will certainly be played at Doak Campbell Stadium come September.

So, why’s the sky falling in Tallahassee?  Florida State is on the verge of a recruiting misstep; one that might cost Jimbo Fisher his job.  According to the major recruiting services, FSU has finished with top 10 classes in the past few cycles.  However, when you look a bit deeper you notice a glaring issue.  Sure, there are five and four star skill players abound, but where are the offensive lineman?  Of the offensive lineman Florida State recruited last year, neither of them are on the team.  Granted, both were junior college transfers, but that means that Jimbo and Co. are playing with fire.  Not having depth at any position can cost you, but not having depth at offensive line can severely limit your potency on offense.  Many Florida State insiders refer to the loss against North Carolina State as an example of this; our NFL-bound right tackle, Menelik Watson, missed that game.  It turned out to be the Seminoles worst offensive performance of the year – the offense looked pedestrian at times and failed to convert on many third and shorts that could have clinched the game for the Seminoles.

Going back several years, recruiting offensive line has been an issue at Florida State.  Frankly, it doesn’t make sense.  Florida State has all of the other pieces on offense: a great offensive mind in Jimbo Fisher and blue chip quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers. A strong offensive line should be part of that equation but it has truly been anything but.  The rumor is that five and four star offensive linemen aren’t terribly receptive to Rick Trickett’s allegedly abusive coaching style.  So, maybe he thrives on “project” type players that are willing to work a little harder and be subjected to his coaching style.  However, it’s not just the quality of recruits, but the quantity.  Remember, Florida State did not retain either of the lineman it recruited last year.  During this year’s cycle, while much is expected to occur between now and Wednesday, Florida State has 2 confirmed offensive line commitments and one tight end that will likely transition to tackle.  What may hurt the most is that a long-time offensive line commitment, Austin Golson, decommitted just barely a week before signing day.

Of course, the irony of the situation is that the first string quarterback is Clint Trickett, the offensive line coach’s son.  Clint is not the most mobile of quarterbacks and is more of a pocket passer.  If his dad, Rick, doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain, he may actually wind up costing his son the opportunity to be the quarterback at Florida State.

Florida State is aggressively recruiting two offensive lineman, 4-star Denver Kirkland and 3-star Wilson Bell, and both are very likely to join Florida State on Wednesday.  However, if they don’t, I wouldn’t  be surprised by Florida State’s struggles in the future.  It’s like having a donut (spare tire) on a Ferrari; amazing potential, but perilously limited by a lack of quality and depth on the offensive line.

Posted by Duke in ACC only, Football, FSU Correspondent, Opinion, Recruiting and tagged , , , , ,
01 Feb 2013
8 Comments

ACC Winter Meetings Update- Future ACC Basketball Tournament Sites

Finally, we have some news out of the ACC Winter Meetings! Swofford has been FAR too quiet the past few days despite all of the realignment rumors that have been picking up speed in this blog and others. Fortunately, as any ACC member knows, silence from John Swofford and the ACC can be a good thing. HE’S UP TO SOMETHING.

ESPN just posted an article regarding  ACC Basketball Tournament sites and the possibility of future tournaments in New York City. What do you guys think about that? While I’m an NC native and a current resident, I’ve never liked the tournament being in Greensboro. Sure, I love the history, and the location is pretty convenient for me, but it just hasn’t seemed like the right place for the past few years. The league’s membership has grown and changed and so has its footprint. The location of its tournament must reflect that.

I’ve recently been a proponent of the conference expanding to 16 teams. Once we got beyond 10, scheduling  just became too difficult and unwieldy. With 16 teams, you can split up into four pods and play 9 conference games in football. That means you can play your entire pod (3 games), another full pod (4 games) and half of a third pod (2 games) each year. Under that configuration, teams would be able to see each other at least once every other year and play a game at every team’s home at least once every four years. That’s way better than things are now. Under the new scheduling rotation and current divisional model, it may take UNC up to 8 years to play Wake Forest, a longtime rival who’s campus is just 80 miles down the road from Chapel Hill. So how would these pods look?

Tobacco Road                    Deep South                Mid-Atlantic              North

North Carolina                        Miami                              Virginia                           Boston College

NC State                                     Florida State                  Virginia Tech              Syracuse

Wake Forest                             Georgia Tech                 Pittsburgh                    Louisville

Duke                                            Clemson                           West Virginia              Notre Dame

You’ll notice that I have West Virginia and Notre Dame in there. I believe that WVU has always belonged in the ACC and that ND WILL be forced to join a conference at some point. Its conference of choice is the ACC. They have proven this by taking partial membership with us over the Big 12 and rejecting the B10 on numerous occasions. If superconferences were to be logically created (and they probably won’t be), then the Big 12 would be the next to fall (not the ACC) and WVU would be free to join without the grant of rights restriction (which could just as easily be broken if 5 or more Big 12 members wanted to leave).

All that to say, is that it is imperative that the league shake its “Tobacco Road” bias image. That is why I propose that the tournament develop a permanent rotation between four cities: Orlando (ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex- Deep South POD), Raleigh (PNC Arena- Tobacco Road POD), DC (Washington Wizards Arena- Mid-Atlantic POD), Brooklyn (Barclays Center- North POD). Not only do these cities provide a variety of entertainment, dining and housing options for fans, but they also come with a significant corporate population and satisfy the fan bases of each “pod.” No longer would the ACC tournament be seen as a place where the North Carolina schools are given an advantage. With a strict, set rotation, fans could expect their favorite team to have an unbiased leg-up on the competition once every four years. This would also ease with travel plans for fans and teams and leave the league to work on more important matters such as re-branding itself and marketing its product.

What do you think? While we haven’t heard much yet, the news out of Florida (the location of the ACC Winter Meetings) is encouraging. John Swofford seems to be more willing to stray from the past, as seen with the addition of Louisville, than ever before and this can only be good for the future of the conference.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, Conference News, Conference Realignment, UNC Correspondent and tagged , , , , , ,
31 Jan 2013
8 Comments

Signing Day, One Week Away… Predictions

We’re getting so close to “the big day”. If you’re a true college football fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That’s right, the day your team signs its new recruiting class and fills team needs is approaching. Most of these high school signees, recruits, or soon to be local campus celebrities (whatever you want to call them) will represent your school on and off the football field for the next several years, so pay attention. As we head into next Wednesday, February 6th, also known to many as National Signing Day, we’ll peak at an early prediction to see how the current ACC’s top classes should stack up. Loads of blue-chip recruits are making final decisions next Wednesday. Let’s shake the magic eight ball and see what happens…

2013 ACC Recruiting Class Predictions:

1. Clemson (Currently 18 verbals, should make major noise on NSD. 3 of the top 5 recruiting battles left include the Tigers. Still in the running for blue chippers in DT Adams, DE Lawson, OT Crowder, and CB Alexander. Dabo has aces in the hole as usual; I’m calling it a top 10 class when the smoke clears. The Tigers like it near the top, may stay for a while with this class.)

2. Florida State (Currently 18 verbals, with stellar recruits on the line. While the Noles had a few recruits part ways over the last few days, they should easily make up ground with blue chip OLB Thomas, WR Cunningham, and possibly DT Bryant among others. Jimbo will make it happen once again, bank on a top 10 class.)

3. Miami (Currently 13 verbals, also in the running with many studs. While the class is currently small, they pack a nasty punch. Still in it until the end for OLB Thomas, DT Bryant, RB Collins, and WR Coley all from the South FL football hotbed. Despite rough times with the NCAA, they’re making it happen. We’ll call it a U top 20-15 class)

4. North Carolina (Currently 18 verbals, looking to throw more on the pile. While most of their guys are already locked in, the biggest battle will be against Tennessee for WR North. North stays close to home, and UNC lands the big fish. They also have a shot at TE McNeil and ATH Summers to name a few. We’ll see Tarheel blue in the top 25 next Wed.)

5. Virginia Tech (Currently 22 verbals, already almost close to a full signing class before the fax flood gates open up. All of the current commits are 3 and 4 stars. Still heavy favorites for ATH Parker and possibly DE Bellamy. The Hokies will be on the cusp of reeling in a top 25 class).

Best of the rest:

6. Pitt
7. UVA
8. NC State
9. Syracuse
10. GT
11. Wake
12. Maryland
13. BC
14. Duke

If your personal rankings stack up a little different, leave a comment below and tell us why.

Posted by JBCoop in ACC only, Clemson correspondent, Conference News, Football, Opinion, Predictions, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Jan 2013
2 Comments

What’s up?/ACC Winter Meetings

Hey guys, what’s up? I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m the new UNC correspondent for Atlantic Coast Confidential. Born in Raleigh, NC to two Virginia Tech grads, I was raised on Tobacco Road and loved every minute of it. Growing up, I actually had pretty much no loyalty to any team at all, cheering for UNC, NC State, Duke (I regret that) and even Wake since VT wasn’t in the ACC yet. But by the time they joined in 2004, I had decided to go to UNC and my loyalties were set for life. I still cheer for VT when they’re not playing Carolina, but when they do, it’s all Carolina all the time. That means that this Saturday’s upcoming game will be pretty fun. But I’m realistic. I know that a stronger ACC makes us all look good, so come tournament time I’m cheering for everybody except Duke (the Lehigh game was great). So while I love Carolina, I’ve always loved the ACC first and am extremely excited about sharing that passion with you.

Mr. Tar Heel

– Watch the ACC Spring Meetings over the next few days. What happens will pretty much determine whether we even need this blog next year, or if the long-rumored (by WVU fans) Armageddon is about to begin. My take- The whole idea is completely overblown. There’s way too much potential in a conference with the best media markets, over 33% of the US population, huge football brands (FSU, ND, Miami, Clemson, VT, etc.), legendary basketball programs (UNC, Duke, NC State, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville etc.), the best academics, most successful Olympic sports and unparalleled tradition for anything drastic to happen. Swofford will, as he always has, surprise everyone with something that will put the ACC on even monetary terms with the rest of the power conferences. ESPN has invested in the ACC way too much to see its product fall to Fox, or its other competitors. Plus, I just don’t see UNC forsaking its cultural roots for an all-around bad fit (Big 10), or FSU pulling a WVU and letting geographic sense fly out the window.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Conference Realignment, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,
30 Jan 2013
4 Comments

Hello! (And other introductory remarks)

While National Signing Day may be a week away, I’ve already made my commitment and signed the letter of intent. I’m happy to announce that I will be the FSU correspondent for Atlantic Coast Confidential. I’m guilty of following FSU athletics to a fault, with many apologies to my wife and son.

On the docket, I have a few articles planned. First, an article on FSU’s recruiting this cycle and why this class may be what defines Jimbo Fisher’s career. Second, I’d like to discuss the seismic turnover that the coaching staff has experienced. And third, maybe a few thoughts on conference expansion and where FSU may finally land.  Of course, if my colleagues or our readers have any articles they would like to see, please let me know.

Above all, thank you for having me and I look forward to being your correspondent for all things FSU.

Posted by Duke in FSU Correspondent and tagged
30 Jan 2013
3 Comments

SU Football starts the transition

There is never a good time for a good college football coach to leave.  Just when Orange fans see the program turning the corner with Doug Marrone, next thing you know he is the HC of the Buffalo Bills.

New Head Coach Scott Shafer has been quite busy building a new staff and trying to keep recruits.  The Orange lost top QB recruit Zach Allen to TCU just two days before he was supposed to enroll at Syracuse.  The Orange also lost a few other players in transition. Long time SU fans remember Ray Rice decommitted when Paul Pasqualoni was let go – think both teams fortunes changed for a decade after that one?  However, the new staff has already attracted a few new recruits with the recently patched together staff including dual threat QB Mitch KImble from Illinois and WR Corey Cooper out of Raleigh, NC.  The latter was being recruited by new OC George McDonald who is being counted on to not just lead the offense but to recruit in ACC territory having been with Miami last season.

As part of the move to the ACC the Orange was hoping to go into some new recruiting territoy and now has someone with ties in the conference’s footprint.  However, Syracuse has to still recruit the 250 mile radius around its campus successfully.  In the 80’s and 90’s they owned the NJ/NYC area – then Greg Schiano and Randy Edsall came along and the Orange have struggled regularly since.  Doug Marrone was just making some inroads into the NYC area and had a few asst. coaches who new the area well, but they went with him to the Bills.  I’m very encouraged with how the new staff has held things together.  The staff isn’t completely filled yet, but as of yet, they don’t have anyone with ties to the metropolitan area and only two verbal commits so far are from NYC and none from NJ.  If the ‘Cuse is going to continue the recent upswing as they enter the ACC, they will have to somehow get back into their base recruiting area.  Otherwise, it could be a rough start in the ACC next year.

Posted by tjcuseacc in ACC only, Football, Syracuse correspondent and tagged , ,

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