Foodman53

Not a Vols fan...but, unless the prospective coach is Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey, or Geno...just who does Danny White intend to replace her with that's going to be any better? South Carolina and LSU are the cream of the crop in SEC Womens Basketball, and are both going to remain that way for quite some time. That's not to say that UT and all the others shouldn't put their best foot forward, but this is a bit of a poor look on Tennessee's part...one, by parting with a successful coach who was a UT alum...and, also , waiting until the "buyout clause" reduced her salary!

Fast forward 35 years....Kirby has won 2 consecutive nattys and is the odds on favorite to win a 3rd at UGA after a 40-plus year drought! Not excusing bad behavior, but his pressure today dwarfs Coach Bowden's, and that pressure can be chalked up to NIL, his own paycheck, fan expectations...and, maybe just a moral decay in society! Also, Florida's fans are ready to can Billy Napier after just a single year by having a "losing" season, despite having an inherited roster....which the same can be said for probably 100 other college sports fanbases! Nobody wants to be the unemployed martyr by saying that my program will observe the rules, without "shortcuts", despite what might happen to my personal career! The situation at Northwestern and others like New Mexico State bear that out! Maybe I've grown too old, but it's sad!

Let's quit with the "whataboutism" and Georgia vs Florida here! Right now, UGA is king of the football world, but has a large traffic speeding and accident problem, and is probably "whistling pass the graveyard" in perhaps paying out massive legal settlements as a result of it!! I do agree with Matt Hayes that Kirby has the power to rein it in, if he'll do it...otherwise, the school president or AD should....and not lamely blame it on NIL! The message should be that if you can't abide by the rules at UGA, UF, or any other SEC school....hit the road, and if you're that irreplaceable, some other program will pick you up and pay you! And, what Jalen Kitna did was reprehensible to say the least...but, the Gators didn't waste any time forever pulling the plug on him! I'm afraid that the college sports world has degenerated to the point that the average fan will excuse any behavior as along as it puts "W's" in the record book! And, this goes for all college fan bases, not just Georgia and Florida! Years ago, Bobby Bowden spoke to my church's men's group and made the statement, paraphrased...."in order to keep my job, I have to win...and to win, I have to recruit players to my team that I wouldn't have in my house!" Sadly, "ol Coach" was speaking truth more tha 3 decades ago!

As I posted earlier today, I "don't know what I don't know", but I surmised that sometime between his weekend Under Armour game in Orlando this weekend and today, some other school or collective rushed in with an "11th hour, 59th minute" financial package that UF was either unable or unwilling to meet, and now the kid is gone! This won't be the last time that this happens to the Gators or anyone else, now that NIL is the "law of the land"! Allegiance to a school now means nothing, it's all about the $$$$....and, this old timer doesn't think that he personally can adjust, fan-wise! Before my Tide, Vols, Dawgs, Buckeyes, etc....comrades poke too much fun at the Gators, be warned...you may be next! However well meaning it was initially, NIL is a financial cancer to college sports, and football in particular!

I'm hoping that you're correct on my "point #2"....I would hope that Napier wouldn't be that reckless or desperate to promise a job to someone. I'm beginning to put more stock into my "point #3", going back to my career as a high school guidance counselor who dealt with quite a few college bound athletes......Given that Rashada was to be an early entry, did he totally complete his high school credits successfully? A college can offer a "letter of intent", but it's dependant on the kid passing everything successfully prior to entering college....could be just a simple snafu, or a major foulup, all of which are covered by federal privacy issues! Or, it could indeed be "Door #1"...more money offered at the last second! Whatever the case, it's what my late mother would have called a "hot mess!"

Also, with Rashada and his attorney suing UF(???), any used car dealership will tell you that "verbal agreements mean nothing", just FYI...

Also, I'll be the first to admit that "I don't know what I don't know", but this an awfully strange turns of events which makes nobody look good!

Granted, I'm not the internet expert that many on this board profess to be, but I'll just draw on my 60-plus years of being a Florida Gator fan and offer up the following scenerios. 1. At the 11th hour and 59th minute, some other rogue program, such as Miami, or a West Coast/California school...where they pay NIL to high schoolers...."showed Rashada the money"....and UF and or their "collective" was either unable or unwilling to "pony up"! In this day of "pay to play", this is the most likely case, which is disturbing, because he and his family spent the past few months professing their love for the Gators, and assured that Rashada would bring the 4th National Championship and/or 4th Heisman to Gainesville! Makes you curious? 2. UF(Coach Napier)either directly or otherwise, promised Rashada the starting QB job on Day 1, and when UF signed Graham Mertz, along with Jack Miller and two other quarterbacks on the roster...the implication was that he would now compete for the job...our boy got cold feet! If that's the case, that's the worst possible effect of NIL, allowing the $$$ to determine who plays, and shame on Napier for opening that "Pandora's Box!"....if so, the recruits and their agents now coach the team! 3. Although UF and Rashada's people deny this, there's a problem with the Admissions Office, but privacy laws being what they are, we'll never know unless Rashada says so(or not)! Being a retired high school counselor, I'm tossing in a bet here, also! Finally, whether or not Rashada plays for UF, the program will go on! One gained or lost recruit does not determine your program, unlike the opinions of many of this forum's "experts"!

Granted, Marcus Stokes made a 18 year old bonehead decision, but if we're going to jerk his scholarship offer and potentially ruin his Division 1 career before it begins, let's go totally "woke" and stop playing the mysoginistic, "n-word", "MF-word" rap music at 200 decibles at Florida Field before, during, and after the game! If saying the word(s) in any context is not acceptable, let's not do it corparately!

Although the "pod" system is a terrible name, it does make sense with some of the many rotating examples that have been talked about previously. Only real change that I'd make would be to go to a 9 game format, and probably move Auburn to the East, which automatically renews its rivalry with Florida. Bama would become Auburn's "permanent" cross-division opponent, in order to maintain the rivalry. Athough Tennessee is Bama's "permanent" East opponent , I'm sure that the Vols would trade Auburn for them, giving UT a better chance at winning, year in and year out! My concern would be what OOC rivalries do you keep? Florida-FSU...Georgia-Tech...Kentucky-Louisville? Oklahoma-Okie State(or Nebraska)? Who does Texas pair up with? Bama, LSU, A&M, & the Mississippi schools? Lot of interesting scenerios all the way around!!

Congrats to "C4"!! Now head coach at his high school alma mater, and a long established Jacksonville area power program!