2013 College Football Thread (Realer than Real Deal Holyfield -->S/O Craftsy)

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Davin Bellamy

Yeah I can't remember the last FSU DE to wear #17 but I guess I can get used to Bellamy wearing it

 

[asianplayer]

Demarcus Walker

what u think fsu's chances of landing him dre?

 

[jhawk826]

[h1]Poliquin: Doug Marrone's decision to leave Syracuse football behind is wise but unsettling[/h1]
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(Gallery by Frank Ordoñez, The Post-Standard)

By Bud Poliquin, Post-Standard columnist
on January 06, 2013 at 8:19 PM, updated January 07, 2013 at 6:46 AM
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Syracuse, N.Y. – If it’s true what that anonymous sage once declared -- that even when opportunity knocks, a fella has to be smart enough to get up off his duff and answer the door -- then Doug Marrone is to be commended for having rousted himself over the weekend.

The man is a football coach, and a team in the greatest professional league ever assembled in any sport offered him the chance to sign on at a substantial raise in pay. And so, even if that outfit was the Buffalo Bills and it plays in a city that shivers along the shore of Lake Erie, Marrone wisely chose to accept the promotion.

There are decisions, and then there are easy decisions. And this one made by Marrone -- who once claimed that ramrodding the football program of his alma mater, Syracuse University, was his "dream job" (now, an unfortunate choice of words) -- was a decision that could have been made while sitting in a bubble bath.

On the one hand, there is the NFL with its grand stage, filled with spectacular athletes and decorated coaches, that always has been the brighter football beacon to Marrone. And on the other is the Orange operation that is about to lose so much of the offensive personnel that had made SU so effective -- and, thus, Marrone so attractive -- this past season.

Indeed, with Ryan Nassib, Justin Pugh, Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales departing, and with the heightened challenges of the ACC looming, the timing was right for Marrone to skedaddle along with his stars. As hot a commodity as he could ever hope to be, Doug simply took advantage of his happy situation and has left us while the leaving was good.

There will be, of course, some hard feelings in all of this. And considering the nature of the proceedings that were equal parts clumsy and clandestine, that should not be unexpected.

Because both Marrone, who supposedly did not communicate with his Orange assistants, and his boss, Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross, burrowed deeply into their undergrounds while the rumors spread in the aftermath of the Pinstripe Bowl, neither will be entirely spared of wrath.

That, however, is the way of these matters.

Nobody can logically deny that Marrone, who lasted through four campaigns in our town before finding something more appealing, effected a minor miracle while walking the Syracuse bridge. He did, after all, exhume the Orange program from the dead by transforming a 26-57 graveyard into a 25-25 resurrection that included four wins over Top 25 clubs and two bowl victories.

And people should applaud Gross, who was reluctant to hire Marrone back in late 2009 (preferring, to Doug’s simmering dismay, the likes of Skip Holtz and Turner Gill and others), but thereafter pretty much provided Marrone with everything that was within his power to provide.

But for some, no soap. Marrone will be viewed here and there as a thin-skinned turncoat who spent too much time worrying about Carrier Dome attendance, Central New York’s timid response to his players' success and a perceived lack of commitment by the university; Gross, meanwhile, will be scorned in certain pockets as the guy who should have put less effort into the branding of his product and more into the appeasing of his head football coach to thus numb his NFL aspirations (assuming, that is, such a task could ever be accomplished).

The better choice, though, may be for everybody to understand that (a) Marrone looked out for No. 1, which is what most folks inevitably do; and (b) that Daryl was in no position to seriously compete with the NFL, which happens to most little fish when big fish swim by.

Simply, we should do that and move on.

The future? Well, since most NFL coaches fail, Doug may find a few miles of hard road over there in Buffalo, where the Bills -- whose choice of Marrone, a Sean Payton disciple, is nothing if not imaginative -- haven’t qualified for the playoffs since Doug Flutie got benched against Tennessee 13 years ago.

As for the Orange, because the word out of Buffalo is that Doug will not be raiding the SU staff of more than a body (or two or three), it may have the chance to both maintain some continuity and rescue a recruiting class if Gross opts to shove, oh, Scott Shafer or Nathaniel Hackett into the big chair.

All of which suggests that the words offered on Sunday by the last guy to depart Syracuse for a head-coaching gig in the NFL, make more than just a bit of sense.

"I don’t want to call this a blessing for anybody," declared **** MacPherson, who left us in 1991 for the New England Patriots . . . and, therefore, has walked along this uncertain path, "and I don’t want to call it a curse, either."

No, what it is, was a knock at the door. And Doug Marrone answered it. Wise, on his part . . . unsettling on ours.

(Bud Poliquin’s columns, "To The Point" observations and "Morning Orange" reports appear virtually every day on syracuse.com. His work can also be regularly found on the pages of The Post-Standard newspaper. Additionally, Poliquin can be heard weekday mornings between 10 a.m.-12 noon on the sports-talk radio show, "Bud & The Manchild," on The Score 1260-AM. Poliquin can be reached at [email protected].)

[h1]Who's next? Possible replacements for Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone[/h1]
Doug Marrone talks with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and defensive coordinator Scott Shafer during preseason practice. Hackett and Shafer are possible candidates to replace Doug Marrone. (Photo by Frank Ordo&ntildeez / The Post-Standard)

By Dave Rahme, The Post-Standard
on January 07, 2013 at 5:00 AM, updated January 07, 2013 at 10:13 AM
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Daryl Gross must make one of the most important decisions of his eight-year tenure as athletic director at Syracuse University. He must find a replacement for football coach Doug Marrone, and he must do it quickly if he hopes to prevent the current recruiting class from dissolving.

Gross can move in one of several directions, from giving the position to a current member of Marrone’s staff in hopes of maintaining stability to reaching for the stars and going after the famous though tarnished name of former Orange assistant Jim Tressel. There are a lot of options in between, but the clock is ticking and it could come down to a gut feeling.

Here is a list of possible candidates compiled with the help of some SU insiders but nobody who will be involved in the decision directly (translation: The next coach may not be on this list):

In house

Scott Shafer: Shafer, 46, was handpicked by Marrone to run the Orange defense and has remained by the coach’s side for four seasons, helping generate the team’s rescue from the abyss. He shares Marrone’s core commitment of developing successful students as well as athletes and presumably picked up the gist of Marrone’s offensive philosophy while trying to defend it in practice. If he could persuade Hackett to remain as offensive coordinator it would be a big bonus. Shafer is a logical choice if Gross wants stability and continuity.

Nathaniel Hackett: Hackett, 33, ran an offense that set a school record for production (476 yards per game). He is intelligent, enthusiastic and charismatic traits that make him an attractive candidate and good recruiter. His football pedigree — his father, Paul, is a longtime college and NFL coach — helps offset his youth and inexperience, and his three years under Marrone’s tutelage make him an attractive candidate if Gross wants to continue what Marrone started offensively. Hackett is young, maybe too young, but he is high-energy and offer SU a shot at stability and continuity moving forward.

Donnie Henderson: Chances are the SU defensive backs coach will follow Marrone to Buffalo, but since Henderson, 56, supposedly was one of the candidates for the SU job when Gross hired Greg Robinson in 2004 he merits notice again. He has 28 years’ experience as an NFL and college assistant.

Head coaches

Jim Tressel: If Gross wanted to go with the big-name hire there is none bigger available than Tressel, 60, who coached quarterbacks for **** MacPherson in the early 1980s at SU before attaining fame at Youngstown State and then Ohio State, where he also ran afoul of the NCAA. Now an administrator at Akron, he’s out there.

Tressel was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty until December 2016 by the NCAA. Any school that wants to hire him must submit a report to the NCAA detailing why it needs to employ him and how it would monitor him to ensure he doesn’t break its rules again.

Also, Tressel will be suspended for the first five regular-season games when he returns, as well as any postseason contests.

Al Golden: Golden, a Penn State product who built a reputation as one of the East’s best recruiters and then worked wonders as head coach at Temple, was one of the candidates for the Syracuse job before Marrone was hired. His success at Temple got him the head job at Miami, but with the Hurricanes facing sanctions due to violations that preceded his arrive there is talk he could be induced to leave. It’s a long shot, but it could be worth exploring.

Bob Wilder: OK, Wilder, 48, may be the ultimate dark horse, as he has never even coached at the FBS level save for a few years as a graduate assistant at Boston College, but his performance at Old Dominion demands attention. The school resurrected football in 2007 following a 69-year absence and turned over the reins to Wilder, a former longtime offensive assistant at Maine. The Monarchs are 38-10 since, with two trips to the FCS playoffs, and they have produced some huge offensive numbers in the process.

NFL assistants

Teryl Austin: Austin, 47, is coaching the secondary for the Baltimore Ravens these days, a position he held at Syracuse from 1996-98. He has one season as a defensive coordinator under his belt, at Florida in 2010, and has a nice blend of NFL and college coaching experience. Being a native of Pennsylvania and playing for Pitt and serving as a graduate-assistant coach at Penn State could help his cause, too.

Matt Patricia: If Gross wants to follow Penn State and turn to the New England Patriots for a head coach (Marrone’s good friend Bill O’Brien) he would have an intriguing candidate in Sherrill native Patricia, 38, the Pats’ defensive coordinator. The former offensive lineman at RPI and graduate-assistant coach at SU has coached on both sides of the ball for Bill Belichick and as Central New York roots. He could be the closest thing to a Marrone type of coach out there.

Mark Whipple: This is another name mentioned during previous SU coaching searches thanks to the job he did in leading UMass to a national title in 1998 and the work he has done mentoring NFL quarterbacks. Whipple, the Quarterbacks coach with the Cleveland Browns this season, has Northeast ties, head coaching experience and a blend of college and NFL experience. That should be enough to at least draw interest from Gross.

Wild cards

Jim Caldwell: Caldwell, 57, is currently the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. His named surfaced as a possibility in previous SU searches, and he certainly has the experience that warrants attention, as he was the head coach of Wake Forest from 1993-2000 (26-63; ouch) and the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11 (28-24), winning the AFC South and taking the Colts to the Super Bowl in 2009.

Mario Cristobal: Many college football insiders were surprised when Cristobal, 42, was fired by Florida International after going 27-47 in seven seasons. FIU is a relative newcomer to FBS ball, and the experts thought the school acted rashly in dismissing Cristobal, a former star offensive tackle at Miami and an assistant for Greg Schiano at Rutgers before taking the FIU job. He runs a spread offense and has strong recruiting ties to Florida.

Stan Drayton: The Florida native, 41, coached running backs for Marrone in 2009, so he knows his way around campus. He departed after one season to become recruiting coordinator and running backs coach at Florida and just completed his first season coaching the position at Ohio State.

I personally don't want another NFL guy brought in. Their aspirations will always be a bigger position/payday in the league. I want to see the university keep the current staff by any means if they aren't going to make an outside hire. Stability is what the program needs most right now since former HC Marrone left unexpectedly. Also, recruiting has already gone haywire with people beginning to reconsider and take other visits. A former player said that this is going to set the program 2-3 years back. We'll see, but so far it isn't good.

 

[renegade34474]

Wilder arrested again DWLS

 

[mr marcus]

crimi

 

[gunna get it]

Demarcus Walker Robinson

Gators

 

[jhawk826]

[font=Tahoma, Adobe Caslon Pro][color=00331A]January 7, 2013


Dear Green Wave Fans,

I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year. I hope that all of you are as excited about 2013 as I am and everything it means to Tulane—plans to join a new conference, new construction, new seasons with high expectations and new student-athletes joining the Tulane family!

I know there have been a lot of reports, as well as rumors, swirling around the BIG EAST. However, I want to assure you that Tulane is fully committed to the BIG EAST and is working very closely with the other on-going members to create a strong, vibrant conference. The universities that comprise the BIG EAST now and into the future are well-respected academic institutions with strong national name recognition and a history of success in all the major sports.

Losing Boise State was disappointing, but I am proud that the BIG EAST did not compromise its standards and accede to Boise’s inappropriate and unreasonable demands. It’s not unrealistic to think that we may lose another member, but the conference is being aggressive in its planning and will remain a strong conference.

Meanwhile, back on campus, men’s and women’s basketball are riding hot streaks, with conference play starting this week. Come on out and ring the victory bell with us!

Football recruiting is wrapping up and Coach CJ and his staff are working hard. Stay tuned for more good news from them.

Finally, we are just five weeks away from baseball opening its 2013 campaign at the Texas State Tournament on Feb. 15. It’s rare for us to start the season with an away game, but an extended Mardi Gras season and the Super Bowl made this a good option for us.

Thanks for all of your continued support and get ready for a terrific year.

Roll Wave,[/color][/font]

 

[gunna get it]

Ryan Jenkins De-commits from Clemson and is back with the hometeam. *DeathRow*

He was a Vol Legacy and Dooley Never offered him LMAOOOOOO

2014 Vol Legacies gonna be real dumb too bad Dooley had Effed it all up by not offering half of them early on.

Dillon Bates
The Berry Boys
Vic Wharton
Terry McDaniel
Neiko Creamer
Cole Cook
Todd Kelly Jr.

 

[MVP]

DeMarcus Robinson back in the fold

Surprised Auburn is higher on that list than Bama.

 

[raw120]

there is no way that list is accurate

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Juice Johnson transferring from Florida

 

[N41D]

Quincy Adeboyejo decommitted from A&M... Too many other WR commits for his liking. Probably Texas Tech bound, but he did love Clemson before committing to A&M...

Sebastian Larue tweeted about not being sure how he felt about A&M anymore with them having 100 commits.  

 

[gunna get it]

Juice Johnson transferring from Florida

Isnt he a Senior??????

 

[raw120]

Isnt he a Senior??????

soph

 

[gunna get it]

Whewww ok my bad LOL

 

[gunna get it]

Sources indicate FSU LB coach Greg Hudson has accepted the defensive coordinator position at Purdue

Damn. How many staffers is that now?

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

That was expected. Likely to get the LB coach from once his contract stuff is squared away. Seems as if that is the only hold up or else the hire would have been announced weeks ago.

Hudson was brought in to be the next DC, but a lot of **** went on behind the scenes off the field and that's not really feasible. Problems after his motorcycle accident a couple yrs ago. Even way before Stoops left it was known that Hudson wasn't going to be around. Was either going to leave or be reassigned to the Football operations. Had been rumored to go to LTU or back to ECU previously.

Gran, Craig, Stoops, Eliot all got promotions & huge raises.

RB coach is supposed to be announced soon.

 

[fear the ibis]

LB coach gone?

6 is def a Cane now.

 

[nako xl]

Can someone explain to me what "Unclaimed National Titles" are? I never really understood the concept.

For example, Alabama has 9 national titles, but they "claim" 14.  UWashington has 2, but they also have 2 unclaimed, Auburn has unclaimed ones... etc.

 

[39478]

Seems legit

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

LB coach gone?
6 is def a Cane now.

If He's a cane it's def not because of this. Hudson barely recruited the guy, Jimbo & Coley have been spearheading his recruitment since day 1. W/ all the stuff going on w/ him he hasn't really been the lead on a lot of recruits this year. Plus So. Fla isn't his recruiting area.

 

[Remy LeBeau]

I really want to see Eddie Lacy truck Teo tonight

 

[az5950]

Looks like Charles Kelly GT D-Coord will become FSU's LB coach...and also looks like Burton Burns will become RB coach...not bad for my Noles

 

[jhawk826]

Syracuse to keep it in house and promote Scott Shafer to the HC according to a recruit.

 

[do be doo]

ND unis.