Blake

A few weeks ago Corral was a Heisman favorite, but I'm wondering if the state's best college football player might not come down to the Egg Bowl. Do you think it's still in Corral's pocket or is it up for grabs?

I heard this question earlier this week on a podcast and it caused me to post a similar question in the High School Football forum. But then I thought I'd ask the one I heard here. Say you're an up and coming college coach and you have two job offers to take over a program. USM and Vandy. Which job do you take as a young coach?

I remember asking this many years ago on here (maybe even in the James Franklin years?) and the replies were almost half and half.

This is nearly a six minute piece on the program and quite a few interviews as well. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/shedding-its-racist-roots-a-mississippi-high-school-football-team-dominates-the-state/

I lean to Vandy for sure. The education for one thing, but the networking and connections one could make with four or five years there. Those could pay off big time once football is over and you're in the business world. Plus playing in some really big stadiums across the southeast and almost always playing on a big network. And Nashville is a great city to live in. Sure, it's not what most of us consider a "college town", but there's lots to do, great restaurants, you have the Titans and the Preds plus tons of great concerts happening all the time But you'd probably never experience a winning season in what's known as the worst football program in the SEC (and pretty low all around). Hattiesburg isn't a bad "large town" at all, and it's close to New Orleans and Mobile. And with the new deal in the Sun Belt plus Will Hall at the helm of the program there's a reason to have some renewed enthusiasm, too. If someone wanted to stick around Mississippi after graduation there's something to be said for making connections locally. But all points considered, I'd think Vandy was the better choice.

... which school would you prefer him attend and play for? What would be the reasoning behind that choice? I can see factors for each school and program that would be attractive, but in the end I think there's a clear winner. At least there would be for my own thinking. But I want to hear yall's first.

I know they have 21 seniors on this team, so I have my doubts they'll maintain a similar level of dominance. But do we expect them to still be one of the top teams in MAIS or possibly the whole state in the seasons to come?

You can't forget the Ken Topps years, man!

What is the threshold for determining if a school needs to go to Virtual Learning?

I agree that Arnett is a star in the making. He made things work with a handful of walk-ons starting or playing significant minutes last year. I think he's got a better roster to work with now. If MSU's defense can stay healthy I think they have a chance to surprise a lot of people.

Last year State was able to put together a decent defense with some creativity by Zach Arnett and a busted roster. They look to have some pieces back to make it interesting. Ole Miss didn't have a defense that scared anybody, but Durkin has had a second year and has added some standout jucos to bolster his own roster. Expectations have risen. Who do you expect to have the better defense this season?

I'm open for that if more are interested as well. Are there others?

So who do you think gets the marbles?