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2021 CFB Catch All Thread


LTtxfan

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Did Brian Kelly just offhandedly announce his successor?

A comment during an unrelated interview shows just how much Kelly thinks of his new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

ZACH BARNETT    AUG 26, 2021

When Notre Dame announces the program's next head coach, it will be the grandest of grand celebrations. A press release, sure. But a press conference, a tour to get him in front of key stakeholders, meetings with donors, parents. It'll be the college football version of a presidential inauguration.

What it won't be is announced through an offhanded comment in a TV interview totally unrelated to Notre Dame football.

But that's what we're discussing today, because that's what Brian Kelly said on the NBC Sports series Race and Sports: A Candid Conversation.

Kelly appeared on Episode 2 of the series, alongside figures such as Dell and Steph Curry, Vince Carter, Justin Tuck, CC Sabathia and others to discuss "social justice in the year since George Floyd’s death and the ongoing push for racial equality in this country."

There, Kelly got to talking about his new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. He said this (via Fighting Irish Wire):

“My defensive coordinator is Black, and he’s going to be the next head coach,” Kelly said. “This is not about color or race. This is about the things they [Steph Curry, Dell Curry, Vince Carter] just talked about.

“Steph just talked about the most important things to be a CEO, and that’s understanding how you make people around you better. Please. That simple.”

Again: "My defensive coordinator is Black, and he's going to be the next head coach."

Watch for yourself here.

Now, this is a comment made during an interview having nothing to do with the succession of Fighting Irish head football coaches.

The most likely answer is Kelly cut himself off before finishing the thought. "My defensive coordinator is Black, and he's going to be the next head coach to come from my staff." 

Two of Kelly's defensive coordinators, Bob Diaco and Clark Lea, left for head coaching jobs, and it doesn't take an expert to see Freeman as a potential third. Much of my write-up for his entry in our Most Important Assistant Coaching Hires series touched on that. 

Would Notre Dame really anoint Freeman as Kelly's heir apparent before he's coached a single game in blue and gold?

Possible, sure, but unlikely. In fact, sources tell FootballScoop Kelly was talking about Freeman's future in general, not specifically at Notre Dame.

What we can say is that Freeman has been exactly who Kelly thought he was getting upon hiring him away from Cincinnati last winter, and that's someone who was "Future Head Coach" tattooed across his forehead. And perhaps that future includes remaining in South Bend. 

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https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2947672-biggest-upset-watch-games-for-the-2021-college-football-season  

Biggest Upset-Watch Games for the 2021 College Football Season

DAVID KENYON  AUGUST 26, 2021

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  • Sept. 4: Louisiana at Texas

  • Sept. 4: Fresno State at Oregon

  • Sept. 11: Appalachian State at Miami

  • Sept. 25: Indiana at Western Kentucky

  • Oct. 2: blOU at Kansas State

  • Oct. 2: Cincinnati at Notre Dame

  • Oct. 16: Army at Wisconsin

 

The teams below underlined are on upset watch: 

    • Sept. 11: Oregon at Ohio State
    • Sept. 11: Iowa at Iowa State
    • Sept. 25: Clemson at North Carolina State
    • Oct. 2: Florida at Kentucky
    • Oct. 9: Utah at USC
    • Oct. 9: Alabama at Texas A&M
    • Oct. 30: Penn State at Ohio State
    • Nov. 13: Texas A&M @Ole Miss

 

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1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Holy shit there are a lot of games on tonight. Dare I say too many?

Thursday, September 2

MATCHUP   TIME  (CT) NAT TV   LOCATION  
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CIT
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#22CCU
6:00 PM ESPN+   Brooks Stadium , Conway, SC  
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LIU
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FIU
6:00 PM ESPN3   Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, FL  
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BSU
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UCF
6:00 PM ESPN   Bounce House, Orlando, FL  
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WIU
6:00 PM ESPN+   Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN  
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WAG
6:00 PM ESPN3   UB Stadium, Buffalo, NY  
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WEB
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#24UTAH
6:30 PM PAC12   Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT  
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USF
6:30 PM ACCN   Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC  
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ECU
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APP
6:30 PM ESPNU   Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC  
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UCD
6:30 PM ESPN+   Chapman Stadium, Tulsa, OK  
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#4OSU
7:00 PM FOX   TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN  
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BGSU
7:00 PM SECN   Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN  
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UTM
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WKU
7:00 PM ESPN+   Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY  
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HBU
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UNM
7:00 PM     Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM  
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EWU
9:00 PM     Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV  
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SUU
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#25ASU
9:30 PM PAC12   Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ  
 
 

 

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Klatt on the Iowa Bandwagon and has them at #9 -- thinks they will win outright over Iowa State

Also was impressed with TEXAS defense and how SARK was able to successfully feature Bijan in his gameplan (even with the Cajuns defense set up to stop Bijan) 

Joel Klatt discusses Bryce Young & Alabama, Clemson, Steve Sarkisian's Texas debut  -- THE HERD

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  • 2 weeks later...

https://footballscoop.com/news/ncaa-moves-to-expand-football-scholarship-limits

3 HOURS AGO

NCAA now 24 hours from expanding scholarship numbers

With the NCAA Transfer Portal depleting some rosters, the organization is moving to provide an opportunity for "roster replenishment."

JOHN BRICE

The NCAA is a mere 24 hours from providing a short-term remedy, for at least one year, to programs who lose student-athletes through the organization's Transfer Portal.

With the NCAA's Division I Council on Tuesday approving a year-year waiver of signing and initial counter limits, schools now may replace as many as seven scholarship signees to fill voids left by student-athletes departing programs in the first semester.

In layman's terms: a football program with its full complement of scholarships to sign a 25-man signing class could extend those numbers to 32, if it is working to replace seven (or more) transfer departures.

“We believe schools should have temporary flexibility to help address possible roster depletion due to transfers,” NCAA D-1 Football Oversight Committee chairperson Sandy Barbour. “This one-year waiver enables schools to properly utilize their scholarship limitations.”

Though the move is approved, it does not formally become an adopted measure by the NCAA until the conclusion of Wednesday's D-1 Council meeting.

For example, a program like the University of Tennessee -- which led the nation in the Power 5 ranks for highest number of Portal entrants in the wake of Jeremy Pruitt's recruiting scandal and the school's hiring of Josh Heupel, could potentially sign more than 25 players in its next signing class.

Josh Heupel has publicly stated that the Vols presently sit at approximately 71 scholarship players on roster -- not including a handful of super-seniors playing an extra season because of the COVID-19 waiver.

 

 

Edited by LTtxfan
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OKLAHOMA STATE -4.5 AT TEXAS

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(Photo: © Tim Warner, Getty)

Hummer: Texas +4.5; This game comes down to two things: Can Oklahoma State’s defense (14th nationally in yards per play) hold up against what is far and away the most explosive offense they’ve seen this year. Conversely, can Spencer Sanders play turnover free? If so, the Cowboys are good enough to pull the upset, especially if their defensive front can attack the Texas o-line. The last four of these games have been decided by a possession or less. That trend continues in a close Texas win. … Texas 34, Oklahoma State 31.

Crawford: Oklahoma State -4.5; Oklahoma State has a better defense and surprisingly, the better team this season. But this starts the meat of the schedule for Mike Gundy's group and I'm not sure how much longer they can stay among the ranks of the unbeatens. This is another toss-up selection for me given the Longhorns playing at home with some confidence on offense after last week. It's hard to pick against Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy and that offense, but I'm doing it. ... Oklahoma State 35, Texas 30.

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5 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

OKLAHOMA STATE -4.5 AT TEXAS

10648090.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,off

(Photo: © Tim Warner, Getty)

Hummer: Texas +4.5; This game comes down to two things: Can Oklahoma State’s defense (14th nationally in yards per play) hold up against what is far and away the most explosive offense they’ve seen this year. Conversely, can Spencer Sanders play turnover free? If so, the Cowboys are good enough to pull the upset, especially if their defensive front can attack the Texas o-line. The last four of these games have been decided by a possession or less. That trend continues in a close Texas win. … Texas 34, Oklahoma State 31.

Crawford: Oklahoma State -4.5; Oklahoma State has a better defense and surprisingly, the better team this season. But this starts the meat of the schedule for Mike Gundy's group and I'm not sure how much longer they can stay among the ranks of the unbeatens. This is another toss-up selection for me given the Longhorns playing at home with some confidence on offense after last week. It's hard to pick against Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy and that offense, but I'm doing it. ... Oklahoma State 35, Texas 30.

Methinks this doofus's future might not lie in bookmaking. 

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Expect a busy and high-profile QB carousel this offseason

by Clint Brewster    3hrs ago

Quote

College football’s transfer portal is taking on the same excitement as NFL free agency with household names entering the portal each year. There will be a ton of eyes on the available quarterbacks in the portal this offseason and some of them are very familiar names.

This is all purely conjecture at this point of the season, but considering over 150 signal-callers entered the portal last cycle, it's just a reality of modern college football. So far, Brian Maurer of Tennessee and Joey Gatewood of Auburn headline the 2022 class of quarterback transfers (Gatewood has already enrolled at UCF). But there will be some much bigger names coming down the pipe. Here are a few guys who could be portal-bound and a few teams whose situation are worth to keep an eye on. 

WISCONSIN QB GRAHAM MERTZ COULD USE A FRESH START

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(Photo: Brad Fedie, Getty)

Graham Mertz has struggled this year to really produce for the Badgers and it’s shown with Wisconsin’s 3-3 overall record at the midseason point. Mertz has completed only 55% of his passes and thrown two touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. He was hurt during the Michigan loss but came came back and played against Illinois the following week, but was once again not very effective as a passer.

Mertz came to Wisconsin as a four-star quarterback out of Kansas and did some good things in 2020 when he took over but he can’t seem to catch his stride this year. Maybe a fresh start could help Mertz get back to where he wants to be as a quarterback. Mertz is a pro-style type of quarterback that throws play-action passes very well and relies more on his timing and anticipation rather than his arm.

THE MICHIGAN QB DILEMMA

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(Photo: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports)

Michigan’s quarterback situation is interesting. The Wolverines are winning but they aren’t passing the ball exceptionally well. Junior quarterback Cade McNamara has looked stale at times and been replaced by talented five-star freshman J.J. McCarthy is certain situations. McNamara has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 986 yards and five touchdowns with one interception. He hasn’t lost any games for Michigan but it’s fair to say that the Wolverines need more out of their passing game and McCarthy has given them a spark at times.

My instincts tell me that McCarthy will be the guy next season, meaning McNamara would be the guy out the door. Nobody would blame him if he didn’t want to be the backup and left for greener pastures. McNamara came out of Reno in the 2019 class as a four-star signal caller.

WHAT WILL DJU DO IF CLEMSON'S SEASON SPIRALS?

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(Photo: Jacob Kupferman, Getty)

Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei came into the year with giant expectations but hasn’t produced at the level Clemson quarterbacks have in past years. Uiagalelei struggled in the opener against Georgia and hasn’t been himself since. On the year, he’s completed 54 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Uiagalelei and Clemson have a 3-2 record and much of the struggles have been attributed to lack of offense from the Tigers. Some have criticized Uiagalelei for his long release and lack of processing from the pocket. That said, he’s got one of the biggest arms in college football and can see the field with his size and mobility. I still think Uiagalelei will be Clemson’s starting quarterback in 2022, but if the season spirals out of control, you couldn't blame him for wanting to start over somewhere new, especially considering his performance next fall could mean a difference of millions in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

IT'S A SAFE BET OHIO STATE LOSES 1 OR 2

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Quinn Ewers (Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, 247Sports)

Ohio State has a bevy of talented quarterbacks on the roster and with starting signal-caller C.J. Stroud hitting his stride and locking up next year's starting job, that will likely mean a couple of them hit the transfer portal.

The Buckeyes have true freshman Quinn Ewers, Kyle McCord, and sophomore Jack Miller on the depth chart. Ewers and McCord were 5-stars in 2021 and Miller got some valuable reps last year as a freshman. The No. 1 prospect in 2021, Ewers has All-World arm talent and could start at a lot of elite level schools. His reclassification from 2022 really threw a wrench into Ryan Day's quarterback plans as it started Ewers' NFL clock and put him on the same eligibility timeline as McCord, who came to campus thinking he'd be the only ballyhooed member of his class. McCord really pushed stroud for the starting spot this offseason so there’s no doubt he’s got what it takes to be a starter. All eyes will be on the quarterback position after the season to see which quarterbacks stay or enter the portal.

SOMEBODY WILL BE THE ODD MAN OUT AT USC

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(Miller Moss; Photo: Shotgun Spratling | USCfootball.com, 247Sports)

USC quarterback Miller Moss arrived in Los Angeles as a highly touted four-star and the No. 76 overall player in the country in the 2021 class, but it sure looks like classmate Jaxson Dart is the QB of the future at Southern Cal, regardless of how the coaching search goes. Dart shined in relief of the injured Kedon Slovis, then got injured himself

I assume Moss will let the spring play out to see if he can win over a new coaching staff in a battle with Dart, but my bet is he'd transfer out to get a shot somewhere else if that battle goes as expected. Moss is an athletic quarterback with a quick release that fits well in an air-raid offensive system.

 

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DOMINO EFFECT DOWN IN AUSTIN

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(Hudson Card; Photo: © Wesley Hitt, Getty)

Texas quarterback Hudson Card began the year as the starter but lost his job after a road blowout to Arkansas. Casey Thompson has been great since replacing Card and will have to decide after this season if he wants to test the NFL Draft waters or return to school as a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite. 

Card — a local prospect who ranked as a top-100 recruit in 2020 — might be exploring his options as well. If Thompson returns to school, Card will want to go somewhere he can start in his third year of college football. If Thompson goes pro, that would obviously increase Card's chances to stick around, but there'd be some mending to do between him and the coaching staff after losing his job so early in his career. That's a sensitive situation. Don't count out head coach Steve Sarkisian checking out the portal himself, either, to make sure Texas capitalizes on a roster in 2022 that should be pretty dang good. 

HARRISON BAILEY WILL BE SHOPPING FOR A NEW HOME

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(Photo: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics)

Second-year Tennessee Volunteer quarterback Harrison Bailey could be a candidate to enter the portal. Bailey came to Knoxville as a prized recruit from Georgia and most thought he would be the guy for Tennessee sooner rather than later. Bailey played in six games as a true freshman and threw four touchdowns and two interceptions. He fell down the depth chart this year and with Hendon Hooker upping his game and Tennessee on a roll, it doesn’t look like Bailey has much of a future with the Vols. Bailey could fit better somewhere as a pure drop-back passer in more of a pro-style scheme with his size (6-5, 220) and arm strength.

MY SUGGESTION FOR SPENCER RATTLER

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(Photo: Getty)

Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler will be a hot topic this offseason with the way things have gone so far this year. Rattler has had an up-and-down season and was benched for freshman Caleb Williams in the Red River Rivalry. Williams played extremely well and led Oklahoma to a win. This puts Rattler in quite the situation because he entered the season as the Heisman favorite and likely No. 1 NFL Draft pick.

Rattler’s father, Mike, told the OU Daily they would would evaluate their options at the end of year and see what’s best as far as transferring or entering the draft. There's no doubt in my opinion that another season in college football would be the best thing for Rattler as he needs to prove, among other things, that he can make better decisions with the football. 

 

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Reality check for Big Blue this afternoon, just don’t get embarrassed. 

Bought ticket for Army/Wake in West Point for next week, finally knocking off a bucket list item.  Not sure about game but should be some spectacular viewing with fall colors in full swing.  

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5 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Reality check for Big Blue this afternoon, just don’t get embarrassed. 

Bought ticket for Army/Wake in West Point for next week, finally knocking off a bucket list item.  Not sure about game but should be some spectacular viewing with fall colors in full swing.  

You’ll love West Point.

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5 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Reality check for Big Blue this afternoon, just don’t get embarrassed. 

Bought ticket for Army/Wake in West Point for next week, finally knocking off a bucket list item.  Not sure about game but should be some spectacular viewing with fall colors in full swing.  

That is a great experience. Saw Army/Tulane there a few years back. Beautiful drive through upstate NY to the stadium, spectacular campus, and an outstanding old school stadium. Make sure to get there early so you can walk around and see the whole campus. If you get weather like this weekend, you'll be in heaven.

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