I am completely mentally and physically exhausted. I spent five hours on the phone and probably another six just texting with sources today. If the mailbag is grumpy that is why. Russell can drop his stuff in here later, I need to take a break from the board for a bit and decompress.
I really want to be positive about this year. But if it goes tits up, and a change is made regarding the direction of the football team…is there a specific moment you could point to during Collins’ tenure that stick out to you as making it inevitable? If you can’t answer this question now, I understand. (For me, it was losing at home to NIU in year 3 and then be told proudly how our team “battled”. Just felt at that moment that mediocrity was going to be accepted)
KQ- The Citadel game and the Temple game year one. The lack of discipline and the strategies used in both games and the kicking was shocking.
Overall the roster is young with the exception of LB with both Charlie Thomas and Eley being seniors. Do you expect LB to a problem next year? (DISCLAIMER: I have no idea how much of the covid year comes into play with those two's eligibility)
KQ- No, Trenilyas Tatum is going to be really good with more experience and development. I think they have some pieces with guys like Tyson Meiguez who we haven't really seen turned loose yet and Sirad Bryant plus Kyle Efford who have a lot of potential to be playmakers.
1) How much do you believe the 5 day turn around / humid heat condition of WCU game effected the team. Is it fair to call Ole Miss Game 2.5 in looking for the standard improvement arc between game 1 and 2?
KQ- Jeff is a lot like this team, he seems incapable of playing back-to-back strong games for some reason. The only two games in a row he has played well at GT came in the 2021 against UVA mostly the 4th quarter of that one and the next week at Duke I thought he played well in crap conditions. His best numbers game was Pitt passing in that stretch but he killed the team with the picks early.
2) With Jeff entrenched as QB1, do you see a plan for developing QB2 and prepping them for snaps if Jeff needs to come out in a game?
KQ- Zach Gibson is QB2, there is just a major difference between the two of them and they are not similar players either. I would be nervous for Gibson playing behind the OL right now against a decent DL. He is capable of coming in though and competing. He has a little bit of swag to him, but I just think it would be a tough situation against a good D with the pass pro situation and the lack of a run game right now.
3) Do you get the sense that the Wishbone look is something we will continue to trot out, or was it more about getting things on tape to interrupt game week prep for other teams?
KQ- It is something they've worked on and from talking to sources Chip Long likes. I don't get to see much 11v11 during the season, but I was not surprised to see it in a game.
I read this and wondered if you knew how our assistant pool stacks up against others in the ACC? $3.7M vs $5.5M for Ole Miss.
“Collins and his 10-man coaching staff will earn a total of $7 million this season, including Collins’ $3.3 million, according to contracts obtained through an open-records request. That total is less than the salary of Kiffin, whose 2022 salary is a reported $7.25 million. His staff as a whole (Kiffin included) will be paid $12.7 million.”
KQ- GT is not paying what the upper end of the ACC pays or pretty much most SEC staffs for assistant pay. That has remained an issue since O'Leary's folly aka the north deck was built. That sucked so much money out of the budget and it has grown over the year as they've rolled debt into that. The debt service is so much it is a big piece of the pie chart and a big percentage of GT's athletic budget.
Can you provide a summary of what players that opted to go into the NFL after this past season made a team and directional status (practice squad, special teams, and/or Starter to X string backup)?
KQ- Guys who went pro early, I would not count Jordan Mason even though he technically had a year left, but he is active with the 49ers and their 3rd RB. Tre Swilling was cut he had a year left. I saw him down at GT a few weeks ago working out. JaQuez Jackson never signed anywhere and has a real job. Juanyeh Thomas is on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad last I looked. I think that is it.
When do buyout negotiations begin with Geoff?
KQ- Why do you think there will be negotiations? His contract is pretty clear about what they owe him and when it is paid.
Are you preparing for rest in October & November? Because this December is going to be rough for you.
A huge THANK YOU in advance.
KQ- It is what it is. This one won't be as bad as PJ retiring because the football has been so hard to watch I'm ready for it to be over at this point. With PJ, I was really close to him as well and a lot of that staff and that made it hard because many of them I was around for so long. I have some really strong relationships with a lot of Collins' staff and even a good relationship with Collins, but it is hard to cover something where things constantly go wrong like owning a car that is a lemon. My wife had an Audi and it spent at least a month a year in the shop. You like the car, but you aren't sad it is gone.
