- Who do you think will end up being the first one to leave GT Brian Gregory or Mike Bobinski?
I think the odds are still better for Gregory to be gone than MBob in the short term (next two years).
- The next 2016 football commitment will most likely happen __yesterday___ and it will be __Jakob Brashear__ ? (Great way to answer!)
LOL, yep.
- What happens to all of the game-worn uniforms from the previous years?
The players keep some of the ones used and keep the bowl/ACCCG jerseys.
Who are BG targeting in recruiting, since he has another year?
Mostly looking at graduate options and transfers like the kid at Seton Hall who claims he is staying, but I'm not buying it. He wants to play in the ACC, but has months of school left. He wouldn't say he was leaving then have to face pissed off students for six months.
Do BG bring in some better assistants to help him develop current players?
I don't see any changes to the staff unless someone leaves for another job.
What do the players think about BG being retained for another year?
They were all happy about it as far as I can tell.
Any chance with Braun's younger brother?
Not really, his dad told me he wasn't sure Parker was a Tech kid. He is very different personality wise from Trey. Trey is a very academic kid.
Who are the 5 highest rated recruits who we have a realistic chance of signing next Feb?
As of today,
Jordan Mack
Micchail Carter
Robbie Robinson
Emanuel Bridges
Tomon Fox
Do you believe Pelton and McCollum will be on our staff in 2016? Thanks.
Yeah I don't think either leave anytime soon. CAM is happy and Pelton is very tight with Roof, I don't see him leaving without Roof leaving first.
Any updates on Where Devine is with his weight and stamina?
365 the other day, been holding steady there for a while, but whenever he goes home he comes back 10 pounds heavier so probably 375 for the start of camp is realistic. He needs to play at >365
With a new and improved Jabari on the DL, does the line suddenly become a strength next season?
I think so. A more physically mature KeShun Freeman, talented and matured Whitehead and Rook-Chungong plus Adam Gotsis back at his normal spot makes for a much better core line.
Any early thoughts on Brady Swilling moving to BBack? Could he get real playing time or is this moreso to create more snaps for Jordan at QB?
It is more to get the best group on the field. He wouldn't need to move to get snaps for Matthew Jordan. Swilling may be able to be a Matt Connors type and he is a tough runner.
Last year was Jordan the scout team QB or was he dressing with the team and getting snaps running the 3O? Any information on how he progressed with reading the 3O would be appreciated.
Matthew was with the offense and never on the scout team last year. He was Tech's emergency QB and travelled all season. He is pretty decent at it in practice. Obviously his reps were limited with JT and Timmy ahead of him, so PJ wants to get him a ton of reps this fall to get him ready.
Its clear that no quality high school players are going to consider Tech while CBG is here due to the need to wear flame retardant clothing anytime you go near his office, so is he just here until his buyout is lower or are they still considering that he might be the long term solution?
I don't know what the game plan is long term for GT. BG could still recruit some guys who want to play in the ACC or at GT like Brandon Robinson for example but they will struggle with other guys like the Miller Grove PG who Dan wrote about this week who used to be the type of kids that lined up to play for Hewitt.
For example if next season with a senior laden roster and maybe another ready to play transfer coming in Tech somehow goes 5-6 in close games as opposed to 0-11. Suddenly we're 17-14 and win two games in the NIT, does MBob grant another contract extension due to the improvement when everyone can see, that 2016 is going to be an epic train wreck..
Lot of variables in that equation including who is committed or signed to play in 2016 to GT. I think BG will have to do really well to keep his job. I'm not sure the NIT would be good enough.
How does the staff feel recruiting is going? Are they getting better responses from the bigger named players, ie 4* guys.
I'll say they are able to be a lot more picky about who they are recruiting right now. Will that equate to a flood of 4-star guys, it is too early to tell.
What recruits are expected to show up during the spring practices?
Anyone local, that is kind of a weird question. It just depends on a lot of factors, most visits are set up the week of the visit or shortly before unless they are out of state.
With the two guys leaving "early" are we now one below the 85 scholarship limit?
Well technically, they are at 84, but if Jabari Hunt-Days makes his grades he goes back on and puts the team at 85.
Are the coaches still considering a DLineman? is Mike Sawyer a guy trying to get here?
They are considering a couple of transfer options. Mike Sawyers is not one of them. Any transfers would be post-May like the last few years.
After seeing what CPJ has built at Tech and especially after the thorough butt kicking given to MSU even with them having extra time to prepare, are most SEC and other Power 5 schools putting Tech on the do not schedule under any circumstances whatsoever list? As in Not enough reward for the probability of losing?
GT has been on the do not play list for a long time for several programs including Alabama and Auburn. Ole Miss and others have pushed games back as well. They don't want to prepare for the TO.
Crazy Question if you have time.. Who's your all time 2000's GT starting Offense and Defense. Considering only career years that occurred in 2000 and later.
I'll go spread option style since that would be easier.
WR- Calvin Johnson
WR- Demaryius Thomas
AB- Anthony Allen
AB- Orwin Smith
RB- Jonathan Dwyer
QB- Justin Thomas*
OT- Andrew Gardner
OG- Shaq Mason
C- Freddie Burden*
OG- Cord Howard
OT- Nat Dorsey
PK- Travis Bell
P- Durant Brooks
DE- Derrick Morgan
DT- Vance Walker
DT- Darryl Richard
DE- Jeremiah Attaochu
OLB- Philip Wheeler
MLB- Daryl Smith
OLB- Key Fox
CB- D.J. White*
S- Dawan Landry
S- Morgan Burnett
CB- Jemea Thomas
#1- Does Peterson care about GT athletics and does he realize that MBob is a bad fit? To tell it was a bad hire is a reflection on him. But let's face it, it was a bad hire.
Bud does care about GT sports and in particular GT football. I don't know his personal feeling for MBob.
#2- How is our recruiting going for 2016 D Line prospects?
Not bad, they are taking two DTs and one DE.
At DE they look good with Tomon Fox
At DT Michail Carter and Kobe Smith like GT a lot.
The MBob edition:
- Why on earth did he reset the buyout? He can't be that stupid.
I have no clue, but I know that buyout was an anvil around his neck when it came time to figure out what to do with BG.
- Do you know if he went to any of the bball alumns for cash or would they not want to get involved w/things?
I was told by two donors that they were approached to gauge interest in buying out BG and both said no way.
- How ticked off are the big money guys at the situation and in particular him?
I think there is a lot of frustration with some of the big money donors over decisions made in general in the GTAA right now, BG is just an aspect of it.
- Is Bud ticked off at him?
I don't know, I have no relationship with Bud.
- Is he as unpopular w/i the AA as on the messages boards?
I only know what the people I deal with regularly think and they would prefer I not share that on a public forum....
- Is he really as aloof and arrogant as he seems?
No comment...
- Is this episode going to make him a short timer similar to the botched NCAA deal did w/DRad?
D-Rad left on his own, he took a big pay raise to go to Clemson. Way different situation.
And a non-MBob bonus question:
- How many big dollar go-to guys are there and can you give me about $20 mil so I can become one?
No to the second part and there are less than 10 guys who are the powerbrokers of GT sports.
What happened to game attendance from frats/sororities ? Indifference, sex, alcohol,drugs, big screen TV, or all of the above ?
It is down across college basketball, but product sells and the product isn't very interesting.
It seems obvious that the decision to keep CBG was made for financial reasons because we can't afford to pay three basketball coaches at once. Can you think of another major college basketball coach with a four year record comparable to CBG who got to keep their job? Alabama just fired their coach after an 18-14 record.
Pat Chambers at Penn State has been worse than BG in the same amount of time. Trent Johnson has been TERRIBLE at TCU, 3-39!!!!!
The sad thing is that the financial situation won't have changed that much a year from now. The CBG buyout will be slightly less but we will still have four years of the Hewitt payout left (the contract that never ends). There seems to be no way out of the mess anytime soon unless someone steps us and offers to fund the CBG buyout. Is there a possibility of that while MBob is AD
or have the big money donors all declined to get involved?
Will be less than three years left on Hewitt after the 15-16 season. BG will only be owed 800k in one year and 500 in a another, that's not bad. Most donors I know want names on something or to do something useful like funding a recruiting department or renovating things not paying dead weight coaches.
In your writeup on the LB position, you mentioned that it was a position of strength or something like that. It looked to me like we don't really have that much at LB so we didn't play with three LBs very often last season. I could see the incoming freshmen LBs getting a chance to play early. Do you see any of the incoming LBs playing on defense (not just special teams) this season?
Brant Mitchell has a chance. I thought the LBs played very well down the stretch even guys like Noble had some key plays on defense in games like UGA. I think folks are too down on the LBs for no reason. Marcordes will be a NFL prospect, PJ Davis is a tackling machine and the Harrell/Hankins duo bring some wood.
Any word on whether the transfer DT is still a possibility?
Still possible.
With Jabari Hunt's uncertain eligibility situation, will he get the majority of the reps with the starters this spring or will we give other players plenty of reps to cover ourselves in case he isn't eligible?
Who would they give reps to? They only have 5 DTs in camp so they can all get plenty of reps. I think JHD will line up with the first team defense when they get into camp.
We will get a few elite recruits to consider us after several of our players are drafted by the NFL. Of our current kids auditioning for the league (Mason, Smelter, Waller, Days, Laskey, Johnson and Nealy) which draft round would you guess each one will go?
I think you forgot part of your first sentence. Elite recruits like winning and consistency, GT needs to do the later to improve recruiting.
As far as the NFL goes, GT is only taking one WR in this class so I'm not sure how much that will change things. OL recruiting has been fine the last two years.
What accounts for the on-again, off-again "GTAA leadership thinking " (is this now an oxymoron?) on Gregory??? Was it that Mbob ignored the developing situation until it became a public embarrassment? Was it that big donors seemed inclined to pony up some $ but then changed their tentative commitment? Why? How influential was the academic side's advocacy of BG? Where was Bud's thinking throughout, as it seemed to shift? How decisive was Mbob's leadership throughout as point man.......took a position and worked to gain acceptance or simply shepherded the consensus sentiment as it shifted to and fro? Have any of the leadership indicated that factoring in certain lost ticket sales on top of the loss position we currently are in, we will lose the same or more $ than if paying the buyout now? When will Kim King come through that door?
Nice rant, I have no clue what exactly happened other than they could either fire Gregory or hire a new coach, GTAA couldn't afford both without dipping into the emergency fund despite whatever people are saying.
You mentioned earlier in the week this was the 2nd time in 14 years you had a story wrong. What was the other?
( not being a jerk, just curious )
It has probably been more than once. The one that comes to mind actually is when BG was hired. I had been told they were going to workout a deal for Chris Mooney then Richmond outbid GT and I assumed they would open things back up instead of opting for hiring Gregory who was on a warm seat at Dayton already.
How often would you guess that high school guys use, illegal supplements to gain an advantage in pursuit of a free college education?
Is there one or two position groups that seem to be more prevalent than others?
No clue.
High schools don't test, correct?
I'm not actually sure.
Are college coaches generally aware of High school users?
I think you can tell who uses and who doesn't
Do they care?
Yes, you don't want that crap in your locker room.
Barring the new budget deals the ACC has reached increasing their payouts or football, was Tech on the verge of some sort of budgetary shortfall? Every major expansion project constructed by Tech was planned well before the college football shake up so I don't understand how we are still robbing peter to pay paul. Since the shake up all Tech has done is add three support staff and given the coaches a decent raise which won't even take effect until next year? How are we still in the Red? Does the academic arm of the school provide any monies to cover AA shortfalls?
They are on budget. The real issue for the GTAA is the freaking loan for the stadium expansion. That debt load is a huge albatross over the program more than anything else.
Does Tech have a booster club fund? Does Tech not have any sort of fund that they can go to, to fire coaches with ,monies still due on their contracts? It would make more sense to hit up large boosters for some sort of donation to build that nest egg than to have to go begging every time you want to fire a coach..
I haven't heard of a slush fund to fire coaches. I can't imagine someone giving money for that in any real amounts.
How is Mbob as a fundraiser? early thoughts are not very good, but the CBG issue could be a one time thing.
Okay I guess. I have not heard of him being unable to raise money for any projects he wanted to do like the weight room renovation.
Why aren't tech scholarships fully funded already?
No clue how that works.
I know that 1 out of six tech grads are millionaires but do 5 out of 6 millionaires simply not give back to the AA arm of the school?
Basically very few give back to the GTAA in major amounts. Some of the biggest boosters I know didn't even go to GT.
What are MBobs strengths? His weaknesses are highly visible...
I think he is very good at organizing and delegating things to others who can more directly observe and monitor the employees.
In respect to the "Booster Club" fund, DRad set up a AD Discretionary Fund, for him to use "at his discretion", for situations like coaches buyouts. I realize it wouldn't have enough for Hewitt and Gregory, but stil....
I believe they still have this but the school president has to sign off on it. I think it is 4-5 million.
Kelly, do you know if this fund is still in play?
I believe it is.
