Thoughts of the Day: August 25, 2022

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

LET THE GAME WEEK PREP BEGIN!

Think of Billy Napier as one of those glass half full guys. Some coaches might look at a two-deep that is going to be flooded with a lot of inexperienced players as a detriment, but Napier sees endless possibilities as starting today the Gators are officially in game-week preparation for the season opener with Utah on September 3.

“There's a number of young players that I think their role will grow as we will continue to see, but you know, we've developed some of the players on our team that have minimal experience, and I think they’re ready for the show now,” Napier said at his Wednesday morning press conference. He reeled off a bunch of names like Tyreak Sapp (DL), Austin Barber (OL) and Shemar James (LB). A little later he talked about D-linemen Justus Boone and Princely Umanmielen, running back Trevor Etienne and wide receiver Caleb Douglas. These are all talented young guys who will see the field this fall, but all of them lack experience when the lights go on.

It's one thing for these kids to do well in August when it’s practice and they’re going against teammates they see every day in the locker room. Once fall camp is concluded and game-week preps begin in earnest, the kids are still seeing the same buddies in the locker room and on the practice field, but everyone’s demeanor changes because now it’s about getting ready for another team, in this case the 7th-ranked team in the country.

So, in the next few days, everything changes.

“Now, how are they going to prepare, you know, the week of the game or 10 days, 10 days out from the game, you know?” Napier asked. “We officially turned the page today, so I think that, development in football, sometimes you’ve got to go out there and learn. You know, you think you understand what it’s going to be like out there to play in a game setting, but I think that's one of the exciting things to me about this team, is we got a lot of players that have minimal experience that I think are going to grow as the season goes.”

Rather than lament backups at so many critical positions will be kids with minimal or no experience, Napier sees this as a growth opportunity. The glass isn’t half-empty. It’s half full in his opinion.

Quote of the day: “I do think that we've developed some players, right, that maybe had not played a significant role for the Gators in the past. You know a few off the top of my head would be Tyreak Sapp, Austin Barber. You know those are two in particular that stand out to me that are, they’re starters in my mind. They may or may not be a starter on game day, but they're going to play, you know.”

SEC football

Alabama: Alabama is paying Nick Saban $11.7 million a year through 2029, which makes him the highest paid coach in college football. Dan Patrick says Saban is a bargain at that price and makes the comparison of Saban with CBS NFL broadcaster Tony Romo. Patrick said, “Tony Romo makes $18 million a year. Who is more impactful: Tony Romo with CBS or Nick Saban? It it’s not even close.”

Arkansas: Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles believes QB KJ Jefferson will have an outstanding 2021. Briles said, “Everything he’s done, he’s put himself in position to have a great year. Bottom line is he is a winner. We know he’s a winner and to be a great quarterback you have to win football games.”

Auburn: Tight end John Samuel Shelker, one of Auburn’s three team captains, says coming back for a sixth year is not for personal gain but says “it’s for Auburn.” Shelker caught 33 passes for 413 yards last season.

Georgia: David Pollack, the former Georgia All-America defensive end who is a member of the College Gameday crew on ESPN says Georgia’s tight end room (Brock Bowers, Darnell Washington, Arik Gilbert) is one of the best “in the history of college football.” Bowers has produced at a high level. Washington never has and Gilbert has been a head case despite a good freshman year at LSU in 2020.

Kentucky: Kentucky has gone to six consecutive bowl games. Five of those six teams were quarterbacked by players who arrived via the transfer portal. Says UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, “There’s a lot of developed quarterbacks that are on other rosters ... This is actually a place they want to come to.” Will Levis, who is in his second year as the starter, transferred in from Penn State.

LSU: Brian Kelly still hasn’t decided who his starting QB will be between Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. “We are closing in on making a decision,” Kelly said. Bet the farm that Daniels is the starter at least when the season begins. You don’t bring in a high profile QB and sit him.

Mississippi State: Defensive end Jordan Davis, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, is healthy and expected to be a force off the edge for the Bulldogs this season. Davis played linebacker in 2020 but he has moved to the D-line in Zach Arnett’s scheme.

Missouri: Safety Ja’Marion Wayne will wear the No. 25 jersey this year that honors the memory of Aaron O’Neal, who collapsed and died during a football workout in 2005.

Ole Miss: The Rebels have 19 wide receivers on their roster, five of which are transfers. The best of the transfers seems to be Jordan Watkins, who caught 35 passes for 544 yards and four touchdowns last season at Louisville.

South Carolina: Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. At Oklahoma Rattler was 15-2 as a starter with 40 touchdown passes.

Tennessee: The Vols continue to wait for a waiver that will allow Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Bru McCoy to play. Southern Cal issued a statement that the school isn’t standing in the way of McCoy’s eligibility in Knoxville, therefore pointing the finger at the NCAA.

Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher says he has a good handle on what’s going on with his quarterback situation but as for naming a starter among Max Johnson, Haynes King and Connor Wiegman, says “we’ll announce it when we’re ready.”

Vanderbilt: Mike Wright will be the starting quarterback when the Commodores open the season at Hawaii, which is no surprise. The surprise is that AJ Swann will be the backup over Ken Seals.

Our SEC orphans in the Big 12

Oklahoma: Wanya Morris, who was expected to be the answer at left tackle when he transferred from Tennessee last year, wound up playing and backing up on the inside for much of the season. He’s at right tackle this year and his success is critical since he’s the blind side protector for lefty QB Dillon Gabriel.

Texas: Offensive lineman Jalen Garth, a 4-star prospect when he signed in 2020, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Football is played in other places beside the SEC

Arizona State: Former Gator QB Emory Jones is not only the starter for the Sun Devils, but he has become the unquestioned team leader. Jones told Devils Digest that he learned his leadership skills at Florida from Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask.

Florida State: The Seminoles open their season Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium against D1AA Duquesne, a member of the Northeast Conference that plays in expansive 2,200-seat Art Rooney Stadium in Pittsburgh. It should be noted that the Dukes beat Mississippi State, 13-12, in the 1936 Orange Bowl and in 1941 finished ranked 8th in the final Associated Press poll. That was then. This is now. Now it’s a paycheck game and a cheap win to open the season for the Seminoles.

Miami: Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports writes that Miami will win the ACC because Mario Cristobal is “building an SEC-like program in South Florida, just like he did at Oregon.” … Billionaire booster John Ruiz says the Hurricanes are planning to build a 60,000-seat stadium at Tropical Park, just 2.8 miles from the Coral Gables campus.

North Carolina: Drake Maye, whose dad was a QB for UNC in the 1980s and brother Luke was a basketball All-American for the Tar Heels, will be the starting quarterback.

Ohio State: Quarterback C.J. Stroud is the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Stroud threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns last season.

Oregon: There have been reports that Oregon sent a contingent to Chicago earlier in the week to meet with Big Ten officials about the possibility of the Ducks joining the Big Ten.

Pittsburgh: Southern Cal transfer Kedon Slovis has won the starting QB job. In week one he will be facing West Virginia, which will be led by another former USC QB in JT Daniels, who is being coached by former USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Unlike last year, not a single college football coach has been fired prior to game one. So with the unveiling of the first Countdown to Firing Day edition, there will be no Extinct Species List.

On Life Support

Scott Frost, Nebraska: He took a paycut, fired some assistants and was saved by old buddy Trev Alberts, who is now the AD. Six wins won’t cut it. Seven or more saves the bacon. He’s got a chance if he can go 3-0 out the chute.

Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: Buzzards are circling over the North Avenue Trade School because the Jackets return four starters from a team that went 3-9 last year and whose best player from 2021 will be toting the rock for Alabama. Collins may not survive past Labor Day because the Jackets open with Clemson.

Scot Loefler, Bowling Green: The good news is 18 starters return. That’s also the bad news because the Falcons stink.

Dino Babers, Syracuse: He makes $3.5 million and five of his six Syracuse teams have been losers. The only surefire win on the schedule is D1AA Wagner. He does have 16 returning starters.

Neal Brown, West Virginia: He is 17-18 in three seasons, has only nine starters returning from a 6-7 team and is trusting his career to JT Daniels, who hasn’t played a full season since 2018. More is expected in West Virginia.

Endangered Species List

Willie Taggart, Florida Atlantic: The folks in Boca know winning is possible. Lane Kiffin proved that. Willie is 10-11 in two seasons. Make or break time.

Jake Spavital, Texas State: The Bobcats went from two wins in 2020 to four in 2021. They need to win six this year or the buzzards will start circling.

Seth Littrell, North Texas: In 2018 Littrell was being touted for some big time jobs. Now the folks in Denton are wondering if they can afford to fire him if he has a losing season.

Steve Sarkisian, Texas: If he (a) has a losing season and (b) Arch Manning decommits and goes someplace else then (c) Sark is in deepest and darkest. If Arch stays loyal to the cause Sark gets at least one more season.

Mike Norvell, Florida State: He’s 8-13 in two seasons and FSU hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2017. Not exactly the kind of credentials that get your school invited to join either the SEC or Big Ten. They really can’t afford to fire him, so if Norvell has another loser, he may get a mercy year because there aren’t enough bake sales, garage sales and car washes that can raise the kind of cash it will take to send him packing.