JOL Mailbag 5/1 Sponsored by Auto-Owners Insurance
- The Buzz - Members Only
- 21 Replies
Whose going to be the 3rd assistant coach? Nate Babcock?
KQ- I honestly don't know yet. I've been digging but haven't really got a clear answer on it. I believe the next hire will be the #2 chair spot. Karl Hobb should be the #1 and Pershin Williams #3.
Have you heard anything about CDS having a deadline for Kelly to comeback so he doesn’t get into a situation like Pastner?
KQ- You have to have the leverage to do that. It is a very different situation because that was before the portal and NIL was fully up and running. That was right as some of that started to brew. You have plenty of open ships and plenty of guard options so the team would miss him, but it would be very difficult to replace him with a comparable high-major SG right now IMO. Once Stoudamire has some success under his belt and a roster then you can play hardball.
With the NFL draft this weekend, looking at the 2023 GT roster, who is:
1) most likely to be drafted in '24
KQ- Right now I'd say LaMiles Brooks is the one I think if he stays healthy is a sure draft pick. There are other seniors or covid juniors where health/development could turn them into draftable guys including the two LB transfers, Jordan Williams, Jaylon King, Myles Sims, or Sylvain Yondjouen who have the talent or could be productive enough to play their way into draft boards. There are also wild card guys as well who will be playing major snaps for the first time or the light might come on.
2) potential biggest impact draft pick for GT's brand/stock
KQ- I think LaMiles would be one who would help because he is someone they signed and developed and even changed his projected college position. He overcame a lot of injuries early that kept him off the field as well. It is a good story to sell. He gambled on GT and if it pays off then that is sellable.
What is the threshold for getting quality players in the NCAA portal for hoops?
KQ- Are you asking a money question like NIL dollars? I assume you are and it varies wildly on the player, who is interested, and what that player is looking for. There are positions like center where you have to have decent money ready to roll or if you want a guy who is going plug and play guy in the ACC. Folks need to remember, the ACC is hard as hell so you have to be a damn good player to be average in the league despite what the outside media might tell you. The last two NCAATs have been great at squashing that bullshit narrative about the ACC being down. I go to the games, teams are still really talented, they just there is just more parity in the league mainly due to how NIL and the portal has been handled by programs or not handled.
As a lifelong (mostly suffering) Cubs fan (and what an effin mix - GT and Cubs - jeez!), I have always marveled at the ability of certain franchises to consistently sell tickets despite a relatively poor or mediocre on-field product. Cubs have done it for decades, and Boston too had some super lean periods during the Yankees decade+ long run. So why not GT? Big city - check; old stadium with some charm - check; skyline views - check; tons of potential corporate partners - check.
KQ- So I'm a lifelong Red Sox fan and I followed the Cubs and the Braves in the NL mainly due to TV growing up. The Cubs are very different than the Red Sox. They've been in the playoffs 17 times since 1986. They had a couple of lean years here and there, but they've been way better than the Cubs. They Cubs have 8 during that same span. Wrigley Field is an institution just like Fenway and there is a love for ballparks that is just different than most football stadiums. Like I was in awe walking into Wrigley for the first time or anytime I go to Fenway.
I've covered games in like 50 CFB stadiums now and none of them felt like that or even something like Cameron Indoor Stadium is so different as well. There just isn't an analog in CFB even something like ND isn't the same for whatever reason. FB stadiums also evolve so much. I think maybe it was the old Grant Field set up with the grandstands and the seats that are under the stadium that might have something, but then it would just be uncomfortable. FB just is way different than baseball. Baseball is about soaking in the environment and the leisurely pace of play and all the things that go with that. Football is mostly about the game and the tailgating to me for fans and the stadium is a stadium. BDS is awesome especially compared to pretty much every other stadium, but it doesn't move me the way covering a game at Duke did for the first time or Rupp Arena or going in Wrigleyville and then going up to Wrigley Field.
So this is more of a suggestion rather than a question: Now that J Batt has filled some senior staff positions within the GTAA, it would be great if either J Batt or the senior-most person on his team responsible for Game Day Fan Experience would answer some questions from you on plans to better monetize home game opportunities. Are there exclusive seating areas in our future plans - i.e,. Budweiser deck, green monster, etc.? Could there be a partnership (50/50) from the NIL and the GTAA to develop premium seating where the Tech Way gets all or a big chunk of the seating revenues, which enables the players to profit by putting more butts in seats? Any out of the box thinking on how better to create a whole GT ecosystem around game day that drives engagement and "stickiness" for new fans that show up to watch a game.
KQ- I can ask about that the next time I'm down at the Edge. I know Batt is exploring every possible revenue source and how to improve the game experience at all of the facilities not just football. I've seen both Batt and his staff walk concourses, observe how people enter and exit, all kinds of detailed things that impressed me and showed the level of detail he is trying to refine to improve the experience along with investing in the on-the-field product.
KQ, do you plan to do an interview anytime soon with J. Batt? I know he's been busy - finding the
pot, firing and hiring coaches - but, it'd be great to get some high-level insight into the program and it's direction.KQ- Yeah my hope is to set something up once the dust settles on Rivals Camp season and I get my vacation in at the end of this month. I've been so slammed I haven't had time to ask and Batt I know was busier than I am so I'm hoping when things settle down I can set something up over the summer.
Given the Akelo Stone news and all of the other questionable recruiting stuff that has continued into the world of NIL, do you have a sense that NCAA Recruiting is less dirty, more dirty or reverting back to the mean from the pre NIL years?
KQ- I think the focus has shifted a little to be more about working the portal and NIL out of HS for the extremely high-end kids. I think HS recruiting may be a little cleaner because money is being spent differently than in the past.
It seems like contacting players to induce them to leave is going to be impossible to enforce. So I wonder how they would ever clean up the big guys with money making money talks moves? Maybe now the payment is legal but they just have moved up the chain to talking to the player illegally which is the cause of the issue anyway.
KQ- It is almost impossible to enforce because everything is basically handled through backchannels just like hoops has been for years. The backchannel person floats the offer and the kid is either interested or not. The biggest issue is with kids who have poor support systems or people looking to cash in on them around them. That can lead to bad decisions and a lot of regrets. There have been several kids who left here and have wanted to come back but are stuck or they burned the bridge going into the portal.
Second Parter, given the inability of the NCAA to ever enforce anything in a way even directionally approaching reasonably, is this just going to be the way things are?
KQ- I think there will be more parameters placed around NIL and the portal eventually. No one is happy with the situation and you have literally thousands of kids not getting college degrees because they were stupid and entered the portal without an exit strategy. Something has to give and it will get exposed more and more.
When you answer the Mailbag questions on Monday, the Spring Transfer Portal will be closed. How many scholarship players are left on the roster? Were you surprised there were not more players to enter the transfer portal (processed out) after player interviews with CBK? Are there any players, to your knowledge, that are no longer on the team; but chose not to enter the transfer portal, but rather chose the option to remain in school?
KQ- Actually kids could still appear for two more business days after the portal closes (schools can process the paperwork for 24-48 business hours as I understand it) so it will be more like Wednesday when we know for sure who has left for the portal. The other thing is there are a few players who are taking the remaining in school on scholarship but can't play football at GT anymore pathway that is available during the first 18 months of a coaching change. That is the second part of your question. There are probably 5-6 players I know in that limbo thing of either appearing in the portal this coming week or they are staying in school and will eventually go in the portal (Jalen Huff style) or are hanging up their cleats.
Any word on Dominick Blaylock? We still interested?
KQ- GT would like him and another WR very badly. He has to finish school at UGA before he can come to GT or go anywhere else. That is the holdup.
