How are current players staying on track to get better and stronger physically? Is Lew having some kind of home workout sessions with them?
KQ- He sent the players home workouts and modified workouts that they can do if they don't have access to things like weights and whatnot. Lots of cardio type stuff. Some of the players have tweeted what they are up to if you are interested in that.
I must've missed this, but I thought it was expected for the NCAA to vote to permit one-time hoop non-grad transfers without sitting out a year. There was speculation the vote was going to be delayed, but then it was clarified it would still happen. But everything I'm hearing is now is it's not going to pass. When/what changed...and when is the vote (this month?)
KQ- The winds changed on it, I have not really heard the specific reasons, but I'm sure with everything going on it was not an easy time to start that and to do it so late in the process. The waiver is expected to take effect in 2021-22 instead of 2020-21.
Do you know, or can you find out, what spring sport seniors (specifically baseball and golf) plan on coming back to take advantage of their additional year?
We had a very strong senior golf class.
KQ- I can ask, but I think with baseball it will depend on the MLB Draft and anyone not taken in the shorter draft will try to come back. Golf is more difficult to handicap but I have someone I can reach out to and see if they have some insight there.
Changing it up, asking about us as opposed to what we're here for. Do you notice anything different about us as a community/group of consumers during this odd period? Obviously and statistically, we're much more likely to be unemployed and/or stuck at home, etc. But on an emotional level, do you find us gravitating towards a type of content or expressing a reaction to a degree that you didn't expect, as moderators/journalists?
KQ- I think people are much moodier myself included right now. I haven't been helped by having a baby at home who wasn't sleeping through the night until a few days ago. That certainly shortened my fuse some.
I think it comes in waves and there are topics that really show people's thought processes that are interesting to see. I think we serve a higher purpose than normal right now because this is basically like the local bar where GT fans can gather, have fun, maybe argue and follow the program.
As far as programming, I think you see us focusing on what you men and women are mostly interested in.
Second, you and Russell acknowledge that bagmen and paying players are a reality of the sport/industry, and we all appreciate that candidness. It's definitely something everyone across the board is more aware of (especially since the Ole Miss fiasco, and the subsequent Steven Godfrey documentary). What we all know as fans is, "it's more rampant than the NCAA would have you think". I've always assumed it was just rampant but with no logical bounds on how rampant. So in "real general terms", how much is a healthy amount to assume? Like, are bagmen more of a thing with 4 & 5-stars and factory schools? Or any player that's in a precarious economic position? Or is it just so rampant that it happens with any school with any tier of player to some degree? *I understand any answer you give is largely speculative and potentially sensitive to your sources, contacts, and colleagues.
KQ- I mean I saw people get money back in the 1980s when I was a kid or have things cars/jewelry that the family couldn't afford let alone think of affording. Cheating is always going to happen. There hasn't been a time where someone doesn't try to gain an advantage over an opponent. It could be what happened in the MLB with the Astros or what happened at Ole Miss or Louisville or what people are accusing Duke of with Zion Williamson.
With our connections, it is easy to hear/see stories. When I tell someone what I do for a living and they know an interesting story they are quick to tell it for example I used to know the delivery guy for a bagman for a certain P5 program who drank at the same bar I frequented...
Sometimes it comes other ways. I probably have 200+ college coaches/staff numbers in my phone by now and I stay in touch with many people in the business and we swap interesting war stories.
Same thing for Russell, it is not our job to out people or burn sources or whatever. I'm not Charles Robinson or Jeremy Schaap or whoever!
With only being ~$7mill away from completing the $125mill AI fundraiser, has Stansbury given out any timeframe for breaking ground, the construction, and/or the completion of the new Edge Rice? (I really hope to see its addition in modernizing The Dodd before I graduate)
KQ- Once the money is all in place, the next goal was to begin the meetings to start breaking ground. It is unfortunate they didn't already break ground because this would be an excellent time to work on that project with everyone off campus and the Edge empty. ADTS last told us something like once they had the money they could begin work within a month or two I think. There are some other hangups given what is going on that may push that a little. I think they have to make sure everyone is still on board with the timetables for giving and not pushing back anything. So that is probably another layer to all of this as well. I'll check with some people this week and see where they are with the Edge rebuild.
Role play/improv time.
The scene: You are a member of the GT Football staff and you are recruiting a 4* or way underrated 3* that fits the bill for what we are trying to build. Those young men also have offers from big P5 schools. What are some of the main recruiting points that you push?
(This may vary by position needed/recruited, but more interested in what the big sell is right now for the upstart of our program)
KQ- Sure it varies depending on the kid and the other programs. The two hardest ones non-football sales wise are Notre Dame and Stanford who can undercut the education piece here some. What am I pushing, I'm showing them what happens to a kid that blows out his knee and showing him what some of the graduates at other schools (read SEC) are doing with their degrees if they didn't make it to the NFL. I'm showing them what happens when someone does really well for this staff and how they have put many dudes in the league. I'm showing them the opportunities to brand yourself in the ATL vs a small town SEC school for example. If they are into women, I'm showing them the number of single women in the ATL area compared to somewhere else regardless of the type they are into. Lots of stuff.
I asked RJ this in the live Q&A but this one is for you. Per your scouting ability, who is your favorite player in this class so far?
KQ- Joshua Robinson pops for me, I like big guys, he is a bigger end with a nice frame that will fill out in college.
In one of the articles about JBS, Russell mentioned him being influenced by Collins flip. Any further information concerning the specifics.
RJ-Sure. Collins was committed to Central Florida, a school that while they aren’t close to JBS in terms of distance, it is one of the in-state schools, and one of the better G5 schools in the country.
When Collins announced his move to the public, it caught the eye of not only JBS, but recruits all over the country. It is one thing to be extremely interested in a school, it is another when you see elite talent joining the class.
At the end of the cycle, do we finish with more or less 4* talent than last year?
RJ- I still believe so, yes. BlackStrain is someone who could see his rating get back into the 250 if he is able to have a strong year.
I keep seeing David Daniel hype UGAg on Twitter. Is the flip a real possibility? And if it happens what would that mean as far as recognition goes for Tech?
RJ- It will get more real, imo, as the calendar approaches December and February. Academics are such a big deal to his family.
If it happened, that’d be a potentially program changing win. Not only to beat UGA for a recruit, but also to flip a top-100 caliber player and top player in the state.
Would put the area, the state, and the country on notice were it to happen.
Wonder why we do not have any OL commits yet. Who are the 4 most likely to commit to GT? Who are the 2 most critical to the effort?
RJ- Stay tuned, young grasshopper.
Jakiah Leftwich
Micah Pettus
Weston Franklin
Eli Richey
That’s the four that will be on my projected class.
If GHSA allows football to start back in june or july will Ga host a rivals camp?
KQ- I doubt it, I could see Chad trying to do something on his own maybe. I think our camps are dead for this year. We have not heard a peep about them and some of our staff who have to work the camps and the company we work with have people in some of the hardest hit areas of the country or most closed off like California and New York.
