I Hate You, John Crist: Sanctions coming for Ole Miss, but nobody knows when
Just when you think it’s going to be a slow week for news, the NCAA drops a bomb in Oxford and sets the entire SEC afire in the process.
Needless to say, there’s trouble at Ole Miss. Previously handed a notice of allegations that was 13 items long, the Rebels were on the receiving end of another Wednesday. Eight more accusations have been levied against the program.
While Mississippi is going to fight several of the charges — specifically the “lack of institutional control” claim — some won’t be challenged. The Rebs already announced a self-imposed bowl ban for 2017, which would mean back-to-back years with no postseason exposure, although that likely won’t be enough to satisfy the NCAA.
Naturally, some fans have come rushing to the school’s defense. That being said, other loyal sons of Colonel Reb have admitted that coach Hugh Freeze and Co. have flown a bit too close to the sun recently. Their wings appear to be melting.
Here are some of my favorite comments from this past week. Be careful with those stones, people. Glass houses and all.
I’m confident we’ve seen the last of the death penalty. The SMU ordeal from 1987 was unprecedented and not likely to be repeated.
That being said, I agree with you: It’s going to take more than a one-year bowl ban and a slight scholarship reduction to make things right with the NCAA. A two-year postseason embargo has already been bandied about in the media.
Along the lines of what Freeze implied on National Signing Day, his team has already been punished to some degree. Last year, he signed the No. 5 class in the nation according to 247Sports. But this year, his haul fell to 30th. Cam Akers, maybe the most decorated recruit in Magnolia State history, never seemed to have Ole Miss on his radar.
As I suggested in my follow-up column the day after this got out, it was recruiting that turned the Rebels from an SEC also-ran into a destination program. Quite fittingly, it’ll be (a lack of) recruiting that likely puts them back in their place.
What the eventual punishment looks like is anyone’s guess. But it’s safe to say the NCAA wants more than what Mississippi will offer up on its own.
One of the most targeted punching bags in the league the last few years has been the quarterback position at LSU.
The relative lack of success the Tigers have had there — especially with Brandon Harris at the controls — was even more befuddling since they supposedly had a couple of NFL-ready wide receivers at their disposal in Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural.
Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
After watching Dural up close during all three practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, I came away remarkably unimpressed. A senior out of eligibility, he’s projected as nothing more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick by CBS Sports. He’ll get a shot in the NFL, although he’s no sure thing to make a roster.
Dupre, on the other hand, currently sports a second-round grade as an early entry into the draft. While he certainly looks like a prototypical pass catcher at the next level, there isn’t a lot of tape from Baton Rouge suggesting he’ll be one.
It’s possible that both Dural and Dupre have been overhyped. One thing’s for certain: Neither was coached up very much.
The only people embarrassing themselves are the ones who continue to come to the defense of former Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd.
Yes, earlier in his career, Hurd was a bulldozing runner and a lot of fun to watch plow through defenders at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. However, in 2016, he was never right. At no point did he truly look like what he once was on Rocky Top.
Based on his unceremonious — not to mention incredibly selfish — departure from Knoxville, it’s clear to me that Hurd had the wrong people in his ear this past season. Whether it was his family or an agent, he seemed hesitant with the ball in his hands and unwilling to take the punishment he once did.
As a result, he was largely ineffective. He averaged 3.7 yards per attempt. Alvin Kamara and John Kelly averaged 5.8 and 6.4, respectively, in the same system. Hurd never needed the I-formation to flourish before, so why did he need it now?
Hurd has reportedly visited Louisville and Ohio State eyeing a transfer. Both run similar schemes to the Vols. So much for his precious I-formation.
I still have no idea how Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson won the Outland Trophy last season. He wasn’t even the best blocker in Tuscaloosa.
That honor goes to Jonah Williams, who lined up at right tackle — Robinson played the all-important left tackle spot from Day 1 — and outperformed him as a true freshman. The eye test will tell you that, as will advanced metrics.
For one reason or another, Robinson was very hit and miss for the Crimson Tide in 2016. Motivation could be an issue. When challenged by the likes of LSU’s dastardly defensive line, he gave every impression that he was a no-brainer for Round 1. But then against inferior competition, he’d get beat and commit silly penalties.
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Robinson will also have some tough questions to answer throughout the pre-draft evaluation process. ‘Bama coach Nick Saban might have swept those drug and weapons charges under the rug, but NFL teams certainly won’t.
In the end, my guess is Robinson still gets selected in the first round. Whether he turns out to be worth the investment remains to be seen.
No question about it, the NCAA isn’t the institution it once was. As a matter of fact, it may not even be around much longer.
A lot of people thought the Nevin Shapiro situation was the beginning of the end for Miami. While the Hurricanes were indeed penalized, it took forever and the sanctions didn’t end up having much of a long-term effect.
The same can be said of Penn State. Now that was a case of off-the-field atrocities — let’s not rehash the entire Jerry Sandusky episode, please — as opposed to football-related cheating, but much of the punishment handed down by the NCAA was reversed shortly thereafter. The Nittany Lions are already nationally relevant again.
I think Ole Miss is in a lot of trouble here. But as I’ve written a few times this week, don’t be on the lookout for a satisfying conclusion to this story any time soon. Expect another drawn-out investigation that’s frustrating for one and all.
Nobody is even sure what the NCAA has power over anymore. I have no reason to believe any sort of swift justice is en route to Oxford.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
