Steve Spurrier reacts to Nick Saban-Jimbo Fisher feud, offers suggestions to fix NIL and College Football Playoff
Steve Spurrier keeps on a pulse on issues around college football, and over the weekend weighed in on name, image and likeness issues.
Spurrier, who was in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday to receive the Liberty Bowl’s Distinguished Citizen Award, said he favors a different approach to what’s used in today’s college football. After all, Spurrier is well known for quips about rivals like Florida State, and the illegal, at the time, NIL deal of sneakers from a sporting goods store.
“I don’t like the idea of buying the players before they get there or giving them money before they get there. My suggestion would be go back to the original recruiting rules,” Spurrier said, per the Commercial Appeal. “After a player gets to a college, he does very well, he can do a deal and endorse. If something wants to pay him a bunch of money, then it’s perfectly all right. But they have to come and play one year, and then, you know, it’s a free country.”
Spurrier also took a chance to react to the biggest story of the offseason in the SEC between Alabama’s Nick Saban and Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher. Spurrier applauded Alabama for “doing it the right way” and said that feud will be a short-term storyline.
“I didn’t think Coach Saban had accused him of cheating. He just said he bought most, if not all of his recruiting class,” Spurrier said. “Jimbo didn’t like it, I guess. It’ll blow away. I guess maybe it’ll come back up when they play each other this year, but it’s pretty old news.”
As for the College Foootball Playoff, Spurrier is in favor of 16 teams.
“I used to say eight, but now I would say 16. The top teams are still probably going to win, but we can use all the bowls around the country to get those games and you work it all down,” Spurrier said. “They have 64, I think, in baseball. Sixty-eight in basketball have a shot at it. Football, we just have 4 of the big teams, and it’s about (the) same ones every year. I’d like to see them expand it a bit.”
“As for the College Football Playoff, Spurrier is in favor of 16 teams.”
Both the BCS and the College Football Playoff Committee were charged with getting the best teams. If that is still the case, then there should be no automatic bids. 8,12 or 16 teams is not what matters. Earning your spot should matter.
How are you earning a spot when a committee is picking you?
SOS with the rescue. You gotta love his common sense response to these issues.
Hmmmmm. Stevie Boy Is Backtracking ?? I remember Spurrier at Florida Insinuating that SABAN & Alabama were Cheating to get the top ranked classes. (Of course Nick would never cheat) ) Now that He is Out of Coaching, he is somewhat an ambassador; huh? LOL. I DO like his idea on NIL.
Was this after his stint at Fla? When these guys went head to head while he was at Fla, Saban was in Baton Rouge.
And was Spurrier’s b1tch during his time at LSU being outscored 85-24 in two blowouts.
When Spurrier was coaching Florida Saban was not yet at Alabama.
Get your facts straight before posting such a dumb thing
Spurrier only met Saban twice while HC at UF, beating LSU 41-9 in 2000 and 44-15 in 2001.
I don’t remember Spurrier saying anything about Saban while at Florida, if he did it was probably while he was coaching in South Carolina.
I think waiting after the 1st year to receive NIL money makes a lot of sense.
I’ll give the Ole Bourbon Coach credit (for than just being sober fur and interview)
Not allowing NIL money until after one season on the team is reasonable and probably fixes a lot of problems, especially “free-agent” shopping via the portal.
… (for more than just being sober during an interview)
I want to hear more from the “Swede”. Tell us more about those good ol days when Spurrier was at Florida and Saban was at Bama. What was they’re record against each other?
Who are you replying to crackhead?
It has been 4,907 days since #THEGATORS last won a championship in football
TDOW…I agree. That definitely seems like a reasonable take by SOS.
It’s forgotten now, but until Kirby beat Saban in January, SOS had the last East team win against Saban back in 2010.