Former Coach

Baldwyn will be good but they actually lost quite a bit. Top WR, TE that signed with Northwest, top RB, best two OL, one of which was their best DL, and the kicker, who was also top backup at LB.

Great diagnosis, glad that's all it is.

I'm hoping it's just stiffness as O'Brian said Friday night and he maybe just misses a start Friday night, but usually when you are kind of shaking your arm as McPherson was it's an elbow injury. Again hopefully stiffness and not TJ

With the SEC as loaded as it is, winning one on the road is ok. If you get two and steal a series that great.

I would imagine it's going to take someone putting out a proposal at one of the district meetings for that to happen.

Have heard that Thrasher may be discontinuing football.

Roger Burton, good hire. Been there several years. Would expect WP tradition to keep right on rolling.

Missed terribly bad on his portal additions.

I've voted conservative Republican for 40 years and was not in favor of this bill. What the SOH and the Gov don't understand is that those Republicans in the Senate were listening to the people they represent. In every Facebook, X, chat room dialog I've seen, as well as just talking to people in general, the over whelming majority of people were not in favor of HB2. Some not so much against school choice but because they had it in a 503 page bill with things that should have been in stand alone bills, not to mention the things that were hidden within the bill.

Look at the problems in college foot ball with NIL, it will only be compounded if HS. This has to be a hard no.

And here's the thing. You don't need to have "school choice" to transfer schools. In MS you can already change schools if you wish. They are just using that trying to get support for HB2.

Talked to a Florida coach over the weekend. Here is what is happening down there after school choice. I'm going to use MS schools as an example. Three sport athlete, parents have the means, goes to Tupelo to play football, season ends and transfers to Starkville to play basketball. Season ends and then goes to Madison Central to play baseball. He said this is happening in their state right now with school choice.

Bill says that MHSAA will still have jurisdiction, including eligibility, on athletics

Kicked the two long field goals. Kiffin would have never done that.

I know it's not going to change but I'm tired of all the extra year stuff. It should be five years to play five and that's it. No redshirt, no medical redshirt, and juco years count. If not then just do away with eligibility rules and if a kid wants to play 12 years of college football the let them. It has gotten ridiculous. Also if schools would start requiring multi year contracts on NIL deals that would stop the yearly transfer crap. If you have two or more yeas of eligibility you sign a multi year contract. Put a buy out in so that if a player wants to leave they or their next school as to pay the buy out. The complaint was always the coaches leave so if they go pay up.

Tulane, JMU, or any other G5 teams have no business playing in the playoffs.This has to be fixed, do away with the automatic conference bids and get the top 12 ranked teams in the playoffs regardless of what conference they're in. If they must have a G5 let the top two have a play in game the week before the playoffs begin.

Schools are no longer allowed to promise recruits any third party NIL deal verbally or in writing. After the House revenue sharing ruling came down each school is allowed up to 20.5 million to distribute to athletes. An NIL Clearinghouse was also created that requires mandatory reporting of any NIL deal above $600 to the NIL Go Portal. It must meet the criteria of a legitimate payor (not just a booster funnel of money) be a valid business purpose for NIL (not a recruiting or signing inducement) and be fair market (compared to similar endorsements). Deals can be flagged, restructured or denied if deemed improper by the Clearinghouse. In other words the player must actually This means compensation must be tied to a real promotional activity, such a s a social media campaign or personal appearances, not just for being on the team. So every deal above $600 is on the radar for approval.

I don't know if the rules have changed, but at one time if the game was not sanctioned by the MHSAA then underclassman would not be allowed to play.

All of this will be done by next Friday afternoon after the Egg Bowl or Saturday. Signing day is only 4 days later on the 3rd. I don't see FL or LSU or any of the open schools for that matter waiting past signing day to hire a coach.

I find the deadline of next week hard to believe. What if Kiffin doesn't give Carter a decision, then what. UM can't fire him, then they're on the hook for a huge buyout.

Kiffin going nowhere. He's not leaving UM as long as they are in the playoffs, which will probably be into January. None of the schools are going to wait that long with signing day in December and the portal opening in early January.

If State stays in their 3 man front most of the game MZ will run wild and it will look like the GA game. Play mostly a 4 down front and stack the box with 7-8 and stop the run and State has a chance. Think we do need both Shapen and Taylor available. Taylor definitely gives you the running and escape ability, if he doesn't get blind sided as Shapen was last week.. Shapen however gives you 100% of the playbook as opposed to probably 30% with Taylor.

Taylor will be a star. He is definitely the better runner and has the escape ability, although when 77 whiffs as he did on the play Shapen got hurt Taylor doesn't get out of that one. But he probably is only comfortable with 25-30 percent of the offense. A healthy Shapen gives State the best chance to win, but if he's not 100 percent Saturday I think I would go with Taylor.

4 consecutive years.

That typically happens with a freshman. Taylor is going to be a star but right now probably only knows 30-40 percent of the playbook, so they have to have a totally different game plan with him. He is obviously good in the run game and hit the big TD pass but missed on the rest. State doesn't win without his two TD drives, but they also don't win without Shapen returning. He is not going anywhere, will be a two or three year starter at State.