Thoughts of the Day: July 5, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

OVERCOMING EIGHT (COUNT ‘EM) YEARS OF MEDIOCRITY

The numbers speak for themselves. In the 20 years from 1990-2009, the Florida Gators went 202-52-1, which is the best record in all of college football, a full 20 wins more than Tennessee (182-66-2), which was eighth nationally and second best in the Southeastern Conference, and 32 more wins than Georgia (170-74-1). During that 20-year stretch, the Gators won three national championships (1996, 2006, 2008) and eight SEC titles.

Starting with Urban Meyer’s final season in 2010 and running through the seven years of Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain, the Gators were 60-41, ninth in the Southeastern Conference and 43rd nationally. Over that same stretch, Alabama went 99-12, LSU went 78-25 and Georgia went 77-31. Florida has won the SEC East three times (2015-16, 2020).

The best explanation for Florida’s plunge into mediocrity when the Gators went from first to 43rd nationally is poor coaching choices compounded by facilities that are well below average. Will Muschamp had never been a head coach before and while he had been a high profile defensive coordinator for Nick Saban and Mack Brown’s head coach in waiting at Texas, he was not the coach who had any business following Urban Meyer. Jim McElwain had no business whatsoever at any high profile program, much less one with Florida’s history and tradition.

Even before Meyer retired in 2010 Florida was starting to fall way behind in facilities and the problems have only escalated since, to the point that the Gators have been losing recruits to schools with better facilities for the last decade. Recruits like the bells and whistles, no question about it, but what they see at a school with great facilities is a commitment to excellence. Back in 2014 when the SEC Network money began to kick in, it was a chance for Florida to go into a catch-up mode when it came to facilities, but it wasn’t until the hire of Scott Stricklin as the athletic director that there was a long-term plan to upgrade put in place. With the additional $20 million a year that will be coming in once the new contract with ESPN goes into effect, Stricklin will be able to further implement upgrade plans, not only for football, but all UF sports.

In the meantime, Florida has managed to close the gap significantly in the last three years thanks to vastly superior coaching. Dan Mullen’s 29-9 record since he took over the program in 2018 trails only Alabama (38-3), Georgia (31-7) and LSU (30-8) in the SEC. He is doing it with facilities that are – at best – eighth or ninth in the SEC. At least for now, Mullen can show recruits that a standalone football operations building is actually going up and that Florida will be in position to compete with the top schools in the SEC.

There is no excuse that the powers that be at Florida allowed the football program to slip so far. From the top program in the country to one that was 43rd when Mullen took over … it’s unfathomable and it could have been avoided.

CAN NIL TIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL?

Antwan Owens, a graduate transfer defensive end at Jackson State via Georgia Tech, just got a $2.5 million endorsement deal for 3 Kings Grooming, which makes high end hair products. Hercy Miller, a basketball player at Tennessee State and son of rapper Master P, got a $2 million endorsement deal with No Limit Records.

Before you roll your eyes back in your head and think we are on a collision course that will wind up in a head on crash that totals college sports, take a moment and consider this: What happens if a quarterback that Nick Saban desperately needs at Alabama, gets offered a 7-figure endorsement deal for an oil company in Fargo, North Dakota. Nick can sell the kid on national championships at Alabama all day long, but not only can the kid get 7-figures from that oil company but he can play for national championships, albeit the D1AA kind, at North Dakota State. If Mac Jones has a strong rookie camp, Alabama will have three starting quarterbacks in the NFL this year. If Trey Lance does what everyone thinks he will do in San Francisco, North Dakota State will have two so if Nick tries to sell the stud QB that he can win a national championship and then go to the NFL so can NDSU. Championships? Alabama has won six since Nick Saban became head coach in 2007. North Dakota State has won eight since 2011 and has done something Nick has never done – five in a row (2011-15).

Sure, you play before bigger crowds at Alabama and you play against SEC competition, but the right cash deal just might make those factors meaningless. Has it happened? Not yet. Could it happen? Essentially, it’s only a matter of time.

Will it ruin college sports? That’s debatable although a lot of people seem to think so. What isn’t debatable is what might happen if the right player or players get cozy deals to sell their names, images and likenesses for good old fashioned cash to the highest bidder. A 7-footer who can eliminate anything around the rim or a 3-point shooter with Steph Curry skills can make all the difference in the world for basketball. The right pitcher can lead his team to the College World Series. Put those players at a school that never was or has been and suddenly you have transformed a dead team into a modern day Lazarus.

One player can make a difference in football at a school like Alabama or Clemson that already has everything else in place, but take a school like Mississippi State, for instance. The Bulldogs have never won a national championship and the only time they won an SEC title was 1941 for coach Allyn McKeen. It’s difficult to imagine one player making that much difference at MSU, but let’s say thanks to some hefty endorsement deals they land a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and a pair of offensive tackles that all have 5-star rankings. Maybe that’s not enough to win a national championship, but when you consider those 5-stars would probably be going to Alabama or Clemson or Ohio State, it’s not a reach to see how the balance of power can shift.

The games will still be played the same way they’ve always been played, just that many athletes are likely to choose where they play based on who offers the best money-making deals. That might not always turn out to be Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State for football, Kentucky and Duke for basketball.

Remember these words: balance of power. That’s what is poised to take the biggest hit because of NIL.

CASTLETON WITHDRAWS FROM NBA DRAFT Colin Castleton’s foray into the NBA Draft was never about leaving the University of Florida. He knew he needed at least one more year of college basketball, but he wanted to find out what needs to improve to turn him into the kind of prospect who can stick in the league for a few years. So, the announcement Castleton is returning to UF should surprise no one.

The last few weeks in which Castleton has trained and worked out for NBA types, probably earned the following advice: (1) Develop a reliable jump shot out to 15-18 feet that opponents will respect; (2) get strong enough to play more of a physical game in the paint both defensively and in the low blocks to prevent getting rooted out by more powerful opponents; and (3) become more consistent as a rebounder. Since last season doesn’t count against Castleton’s NCAA eligibility window, he could still play two more years of college basketball.

Even with Castleton’s return, Mike White has a vertically challenged team for 2021-22. Castleon and Jason Jitoboh (both 6-11) are the only players on the roster taller than 6-7. White has one scholarship available that he can use to land another big, most likely through the transfer portal since nearly every top high school kid has already signed. The best bigs in the transfer portal are Moussa Cisse (6-10, 225, FR, from Memphis) and Kevin Obanor (6-8, 225, JR, from Oral Roberts). Cisse is a former 5-star who recently withdrew from the NBA draft. Obanor, who averaged 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds, had a 29/11 game against the Gators in the NCAA Tournament second round.

GATORS IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL

Second baseman Cory Acton, who hit .250 with 10 RBI last season is transferring to Georgia. Eight other Gators are in the transfer portal, including: pitcher Ryan Cabarcas (0-0, 6.75 ERA), shortstop Jordan Carrion (.244, 1 HR, 8 RBI), pitcher Ben Specht (0-2, 13.86 ERA), pitcher Chase Centala (2-0, 2.13 ERA), pitcher Hunter Mink (0-0, 0.00 ERA), first baseman/outfielder Jordan Butler (.248, 1 HR, 16 RBI), outfielder Brock Edge, and Mark Roberts.

Former Gator linebacker James Houston IV is transferring to Jackson State. Houston was in on 37 tackles last year, 103 for his career with 4.5 career sacks.

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama: Alabama self-reported a Level 3 NCAA recruiting violation for football. Alabama also self-reported violations for softball, soccer and gymnastics.

Arkansas: Wide receiver Trey Knox has an endorsement deal with PetSmart ... Pitcher Caleb Bolden, who was 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 44 innings, will be a grad transfer.

Auburn: Running back JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow, who transferred from Auburn to Western Illinois, is on the move again. Whitlow didn’t play in any of the six games Western Illinois played during the spring. He gained 1,550 yards and scored 16 touchdowns at Auburn in 2018-19.

Georgia: Infielder Garrett Blaylock, who hit nine home runs with a .243 batting average, is in the transfer portal as a graduate.

Kentucky: Davion Mintz, who was Kentucky’s leading scorer last season, and Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler have withdrawn their names from the NBA Draft. Mintz averaged 11.5 points per game at UK after transferring in from Creighton. Wheeler led the SEC in assists last year (7.4) and averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 assists per game in two years at Georgia ... Catcher Coltyn Kessler, who hit .349 with seven home runs, is in the transfer portal.

LSU: Jacob Berry, who hit .352 with 17 homers and 70 RBI last year at Arizona, is following head coach Jay Johnson to LSU … Pitcher Brandon Kaminer (10.38 ERA) is leaving LSU as a graduate transfer.

Mississippi State: Fresh from their College World Series championship, the Mississippi State baseball team got a parade through the streets of Starkville over the weekend.

Missouri: Nineteen Missouri baseball players are in the transfer portal including pitcher Seth Halvorsen, who started 14 games.

Ole Miss: Quarterback Matt Corrall, who is partnering with Dreamfield for NIL, charges a mere $10,000 if you want to hang out with him for an hour.

South Carolina: Eleven Gamecock baseball players are in the transfer portal.

Tennessee: The unofficial football numbers for the Vols are 28 transfers and four who have been released from their national letters of intent. Ten have transferred in … Relief pitcher Connor Housley (3.48 ERA), who appeared in 12 games, has entered the transfer portal.

Texas A&M: Ainias Smith has pledged a portion of whatever he makes on NIL to be divided equally among his teammates.

Vanderbilt: Linebacker Dmitri Moore will be a grad transfer to D1AA Missouri State where he will play for former Arkansas and Louisville HBC Bobby Petrino.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Reggie Bush wants his Heisman Trophy back and his records reinstated. After Bush had won the Heisman (2005) and was long gone from Southern Cal, the NCAA investigated and ruled that he and his family had taken money from an agent. The NCAA hit Southern Cal with harsh sanctions (bowl ban, scholarship losses, wins vacated) and stripped Bush of his records. The Heisman Trust vacated its award to Bush. Bush believes that in light of the NCAA decision to allow players to benefit from their name, image and likeness, it’s nothing more than what he was doing. He may have a point. And, if the NCAA reinstates Bush, then do Florida football players have a case against both the NCAA and SEC for what happened in 1984?