How does the NIL legislation passing in GA affect players like Jose and Moses on their decisions?
KQ- Assuming it goes into place, it would help some I suppose. I think it will be sorted out after both have made their decision. Remember there are other pieces of this not just the state side of it.
Do you see these sponsorships creating any divide amongst the teams?
KQ- I think the guys are mostly grounded in reality and everyone knows where they stand. Will there be a few guys who are sore, maybe, but everyone is going into this just hopeful of getting a piece of the action.
I’ve asked before but are there any parameters for sponsors players can sign with (alcohol, tobacco, CBD, etc)?
KQ- Again only pieces of this are cleared. As far as I can tell the NCAA is holding another vote this summer on more of the details. Someone can correct me if I am off on that. Some states are pushing back to 2022 because they do not think the NCAA will actually clear this to happen before a year from now.
Devin Cochran and Kenneth Kirby are both transfers with legit NFL shots. Where do you see them playing this year? It seems like Cochran is etched as the starting LT, so where does that leave Kirby?
KQ- They took Cochran to be a LT, the day he walked into the OL room he was the starting LT. I doubt he has even taken reps anywhere else. The only way he would is if GT had a lefty QB who was going to play and they do not right now. Kirby is more of a wildcard, he could play LG or RT or rotate as the sixth OL at G/T.
Have you guys gotten any recruit reactions to the NIL law and how that might factor into their decision?
RJ- I have not. It is such a fluid situation right now, particularly with the NCAA, that it is too early to ask recruits how they feel about the NIL stuff. As time goes on recruits will definitely be talking about it, but right now IMO it is still too fresh to be approaching in interviews.
What does CGC like to do during his downtime? Golf? Lake? Beach? Fishing? Maybe he doesn't tell anyone what he does.
KQ- It's funny because he clearly has other interest, I've talked Star Wars and Iron Maiden extensively with him for example. From what he has told me much of his downtime is spent with his wife and daughter because they grind so much. Right now is some of the limited downtimes they are getting actually and he was at graduation.
Do you expect any commitments before the June OV’s?
RJ- Yes. Within the next several days.
KQ-
Kelly, what are your thoughts on the Apollo purchase of Verizon media, which includes Yahoo, and how you think it may affect Rivals?
KQ- I can't say too much as we are advised to not comment much on our bosses publicly. I think it will be helpful on multiple fronts and that's as much as I can say. People I've talked to are pretty excited about it and nothing is changing on my end right now on anything. I actually just signed a new contract with Rivals in the last two weeks for one of my things.
I'd like to ask about Bally Sports South. Bally Sports is GT's RSN for most regions and is entirely unavailable to cord cutters with no direct purchase options being likely available until late 2022 at the earliest.
Has there been any rumbling from folks at GT about switching or offering alternatives when that contract is up or even acknowledging its an issue? Are RSN contracts set by GTAA or by the ACC?
I'm just still pissed I can't watch most GT basketball games (or today's baseball game cause it's blacked out on ACCNX) without an illegal stream.
KQ- All the revenue sports for the ACC and I believe maybe all sports are controlled by the TV contracts. GT has no real say in the carrier nor does any other ACC school. I've had to use a weird loophole for example to get the ACCN at my house and that sucked for basketball.
In general, how much of an impact (meaning the likelihood hood that they sign with that school) does being the first to offer a football recruit has in the following:
1. Elite recruit.
2. Well thought of.
3. Underrated.
Also, how often (percentage wise) have you seen situations were a recruit blows up and stays with the school that they have committed to that does not have a good recruiting record and/or product on the field at the time (ex. The recruitment of Gibbs)?
RJ- Whew, lot of words here. Hopefully my
doesn’t fail me and I understood the questions correctly. - It honestly depends on the location of the kid, the caliber of the school that was first to offer, and how heavily that school’s primary recruiter keeps in touch with him. It can go a long way, particularly if the coach stays on him throughout the process.
- Repeat of the above.
- It plays a very large impact on the underrated kids, or even the kids that blow up later in the process that were at one time “underrated” when the school offered them. This is also a case where if a coach is at school x when he first meets a kid, and then moves onto a bigger school at school y, that can play a large role as well.
After doing some further research for this question, I feel much better about the number I gave from a percentage standpoint. It is far from the norm. GT is 2-3 so far, with Dabo’s connections to the Ala. OL Trent Howard really the only loss they have taken that they have had committed.
How often do find out, in respect to recruits who seem to want to go to a specific school, but for whatever reason choose a different school wish that they could have that decision back? I remember reading an article on Jayson Jones (not saying that he would have singed with the Institute) where family members were all in on Bama and pushing hard for that, and it seemed different to what he was expressing at that specific time.
RJ- Two sides to this answer-
- Hindsight is always 20/20. Especially now in the world of the transfer portal. Recruits make bad decisions all the time, but it isn’t always their choice. Jayson wanted Alabama much more than Alabama wanted him. He wanted to go there so bad that the idea of being essentially a walk-on there just so he could strap up his helmet and play for the Tide. We all have regrets, or decisions we made in our lives that we now know were likely not the correct ones to be made.
- Recruits, now more than ever, are learning ways to control the narrative surrounding their recruitment through the media. I have seen it time and time again. I am not going to be the one that sets any type of pace that will allow, encourage, or take part in anything of the like.
