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college football August 20, 2020
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College football players want to play but here’s why they shouldn’t

America’s favorite pastime is facing a difficult road to recovery.

College football’s fate has been up in the air since the inception of the pandemic and doubtful news is beginning to arise.

Ohio State star quarterback Justin Fields is the leader of the recently launched We Want to Play movement, a campaign aimed at requesting the Big Ten Conference to reinstate the 2020 season.

“We want to play,” Fields says.

“We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to COVID-19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in vain.”

The petition has raised over 286,000 signatures and has garnered the attention of big-time athletic directors and television networks.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren addressed the league’s decision on Wednesday in response to Fields’ movement. 

“The vote of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports and will not be revisited,” Warren said in an open letter to the Big Ten community.

Warren continued to cite multiple safety factors leading to the decision, including the fact that “transmission rates continue to rise at an alarming rate with little indication from medical experts that our campuses, communities or country could gain control of the spread of the virus prior to the start of competition.”

Fields believes that student-athletes are safer on-campus within a football bubble than anywhere else during the COVID-19 battle. He has decided not to opt-out this fall.

“For me, it’s just for the love of the game and my love for Ohio State, my coaches, and my teammates,” Fields told Good Morning America. “Just having us play football within the facility daily will keep us safe from the virus.”

The quarterback does have a point. With quarantine, consistent testing, and strict social distancing measures, a college football bubble could. The NBA’s success so far could represent a positive outlook for the method.

However, it is not quite that simple. College football is more than just a simple pastime, it is a tradition of American culture.

Because of this, the effects extend far beyond solely the players on the field.

Tailgates, parties, and other huge gatherings tailored to football are a norm among college campuses. Not to mention the countless amount of alumni, family members, and production staff who attend these events.

As a social phenomenon, college football exists as a danger to those who support it. The success of a bubble format would have to be contingent on the limitation of the NCAA’s social extensions.

Along with this exists the issue of University liability. College football players have the responsibility of being students first and therefore fall under all University rules and regulations.

There is a fantastically large number of policies that the NCAA must hold in coordination with university systems to allow athletic eligibility.

The sum of them all point the responsibility to the universities at the end of the day, and no college is willing to risk the health of their students over college football, no matter how financially crucial it is.

The financial loss is a bullet that universities are willing to bite. The 25 most profitable college football programs made well over $1 billion in revenue in 2018. The Texas A&M program alone garnered $148 million in revenue, netting $107 million.

Universities and athletic leagues are in a sticky situation as nobody wants to cancel college football. It is a profitable, longstanding, and integral part of American culture that has countless positive benefits.

Unfortunately, safety regulations are preventing any advancement. It is difficult for student-athletes to recognize it at the moment, but all of the cancellations are designed for safety purposes.

Very few people, if anybody, is benefiting from the loss of college football. Perhaps the elderly neighbors who are trying to get some sleep on a Saturday night.

We eagerly await the final decisions regarding the fall sport. Regardless of the outcome, things will eventually get better.

college football February 28, 2019
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Let’s go! Toni becomes first female non-kicker to sign LOI in college football

History was made Tuesday as Antoinette “Toni” Harris became the first female football player at a skill position to sign a letter of intent, committing to Central Methodist University in Missouri.

This a major accomplishment for both Toni and women altogether as gender roles and walls continue to fall off and now on the field.

If the 22-year-old 5-foot-7 safety from Detroit looks familiar it might be because she starred in a Toyota ad that played during the Super Bowl. She’s had a little buzz ever since getting offered a scholarship in Jan. 2018 to play football at Bethany College, an NAIA school in Kansas, and the momentum of her following has grown ever since.

https://youtu.be/H-LRLub6m5A

The commercial was a tribute to Harris’ perseverance to become a football player despite all odds, including cancer.

Now that she’s officially signed, a new precedent has been set.

What makes Toni’s story so special is that she’s playing safety; not kicker, or place-holder or punter. Thus,  meaning full-on contact and playing major contributions to the outcome of games.

In April, a female kicker from Arizona named Becca Longo became the first woman to sign a national letter of intent at the Division II level or higher, signing with Adams State in Colorado. Additionally, in 2014, Shelby Osborne signed with Campbellsville University in Kentucky as a defensive, but initially not on a scholarship.

Harris is in a league of her own…

Toni formally played at East Los Angeles College in California and is reportedly not the only woman to make the Methodist University squad. When speaking to the Detroit Free Press, she expressed her gratitude and commented on the journey its been.

“I feel like I keep doing what I’m doing and keep having faith in God, I can keep paving the way for little girls everywhere,” Harris said.

After being diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and kicking it into remission a year after then, now, becoming a scholarship football player at the next level, it’s safe to say she already has.

As for what’s next for Harris, she tells the Detroit Free Press that her goal is to one day play in the NFL. You don’t want to bet against her.

“I’m going to be working toward that until the death of me,” Harris says in an espnW Q&A. “Whether I go drafted or undrafted, I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep my faith and God is going to take me there.”

Whether or not Toni goes all the way to the NFL, Harris has already proven that doors will open with steadfast dedication. Her commitment to finding a program to accept her, especially when many slighted her without giving her a chance,  is evidence of that.

In January she spoke to ESPN about those difficulties and how she had to keep trying despite the disappointment.”A lot of coaches didn’t believe in me,” said Harris.

“A coach told me, ‘Nobody’s ever going to play you to be at the next level.’ In the end, you’ve got to push yourself. I’m going to focus on my goals.”

Hopefully, Harris’ story inspires the next generation of women to pursue ambitions that they normally wouldn’t believe possible for them to accomplish.

Peep her highlights below.

 

college football February 7, 2018
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Pissed mom dips on football recruit son after he picks Florida over Bama

National Signing Day is a proud moment for young men and women chasing their athletic dreams while seeking a higher education.

It’s an event where the school, community, family, and friends gather together in celebration of their star pupils choosing what college they will attend.

Local media and press are there to cover the event, evening garnering attention from ESPN. All the years of blood, sweat, and tears are finally paid off at this moment.

For the nation’s #5-ranked wide receiver Jacob Copeland, it’s a milestone he’ll never forget. But what was supposed to be an exciting and emotional event quickly became kind of a downer for the wrong reasons.

The 4-Star commit Jacob Copeland is now a Florida Gator. While Gator fans are ecstatic about the commitment, his mother didn’t seem so thrilled about the decision.

So much so, in fact, that she left her son’s side and walked away from the commitment table. Wearing an Alabama sweatshirt and a Tennessee hat, no words were spoken as mama Copeland departed while her son was putting on his Florida Gators cap.

Sports Illustrated would later report that Copeland’s mother returned to give her son a hug and watch him sign his letter of intent.

Regardless of the circumstances, Copeland’s mother’s actions should not be chastised. This is one of the toughest decisions EVER for young high school athletes to make. This is a time when family circles have to be tighter than ever.

The pressure for student-athletes at times seems insurmountable due to the expectations placed on kids coming out of high school. Copeland handled the situation with poise and class.

He didn’t throw his mother under the bus and most importantly he followed his instincts. For a mother, it is hard to let go of her young cub.

Sure if Copeland chose ‘Bama he’d get more exposure and could be playing for national title in his first year, but it wouldn’t be HIS choice. 

@JCope1era

It is important for fans and media outlets to report the full story in its entirety instead of only reporting what they see because it’s trending.

The Copelands have lives and are human beings just like you reading this article. Be sure to follow the young star Jacob Copeland on Twitter at @JCope1era.

And don’t worry too much about him, Jacob spoke on his mom dipping on him and it’s nothing serious! Best of luck bro!

college football December 20, 2017
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After a historic 2017, Kendrick Lamar closes it out by dropping new Nikes

Kendrick Lamar’s third studio album, DAMN was regarded a ‘classic’ seconds after its release back in April this year. Though we should be used to such claims — every studio album of Kendrick’s is arguably a classic — the project arriving within Trump’s first 100 days really made the premature declaration not so premature.

238,000 first week sales, two number one songs, five top tens, and seven Grammy nominations later, it’s safe to say that, yet again, early recognition of Kendrick’s greatness was warranted.

Most would be satisfied after releasing a body of work as praised as DAMN but the “Humble” rapper has been everything but still since.

Between pop-up shops and rocking the VMA’s, Kung Fu Kenny has has his fingerprint on the industry all year despite a first quarter album release.

Yesterday, he was at it again, taking to his Instagram to announce his new collaboration with Nike’s classic Cortez sneaker.

DON’T TRIP. CORTEZ KENNY

A post shared by Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) on

The red and white take features the words “Don’t Trip” on the laces and plays to his karate alter-ego with Chinese symbols on the side of the shoe. This is Kendrick’s first signature show since collaborating with Reebok in 2014 and pays homage to the West Coast sneaker culture.

Before letting fans recover from the news of his signature shoe yesterday, ESPN announced that Kendrick is officially the halftime performer for the 2017 college football National Championship in Atlanta.

According to the sports network his performance ‘will be integrated” into ESPN’s broadcast, which possibly means but does not guarantee that they will be airing the concert. Kendrick spoke about the opportunity saying,

“Having the opportunity to perform at halftime of what will surely be the best game of the year between two deserving universities is truly an honor.”

“Thank you, ESPN, for having me be the first halftime performer ever at the College Football Playoff National Championship.”

Though the National Championship doesn’t kick off until Jan. 8, it just shows how thorough Kendrick’s 2017 has been. No wonder he’s number 14 on Forbes 2017 top earners list.

There hasn’t been an official release for Lamar’s Nike Cortez collaboration but if the announcement tells us anything, its that the hustle never ends, even when you’re ahead.

college football December 6, 2017
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College football’s coaching carousel is entertaining as hell, and extremely f*cked up

Mmm college football. The thrill of competition, the pageantry, the TRADITION, the exploitation of young men in order to make billions of dollars for powerful ‘academic’ institutions!

Big time college football is both endlessly entertaining and completely fucking terrible and nothing highlights this paradox like the recent coaching carousel that’s seen big name coaches change schools without so much as a word to their players. (Players have to sit out a year if they transfer schools.)

With millions of dollars being thrown around, the recent contracts handed out to dudes who coach college football has put a bright spotlight on the NCAA’s biggest issues and inequalities. Again, this is all extremely entertaining (Herm Edwards was hired?) and totally nonsensical.

Let’s take a look at the funniest, dumbest, and most screwed up news from the college football carousel.

Jimbo Fisher leaves Florida State for Texas A&M, gets $75 MILLION CONTRACT

Good ol’ Jimbo Fisher is now one of the richest dudes in sports after getting a $75 million deal from Texas A&M and everyone has lost their shit as a result.

After rumors of his possible departure from FSU for the school in College Station, Texas, there was a lot of focus on a rogue Christmas tree on Jimbo’s front lawn.

The Christmas tree turned out to be a harbinger of things to come as Jimbo did indeed leave Tallahassee, where he’s coached in some capacity since 2007.

Jimbo’s a hell of a recruiter and has developed quarterbacks and explosive offenses in his time at Auburn, LSU, Cincinnati, and Florida State, and Texas A&M has everything in place to be a massive college football power, but handing a dude $75 million to coach college football is just… questionable.

But A&M has the donors to make this happen.

Deondre Francois, Florida State’s promising young quarterback whose early season injury hampered the Seminoles’ season, seemed to react on Twitter to Jimbo’s decision.

https://twitter.com/_Dirtie12/status/936693790286471170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F12%2Fflorida-state-qbs-message-to-former-coach-jimbo-fisher-you-could-of-said-something

https://twitter.com/deshaunwatson/status/936699542204010498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2017%2F12%2Fflorida-state-qbs-message-to-former-coach-jimbo-fisher-you-could-of-said-something

It’s a cold world and college football might just be the coldest.

Arizona State hires… Herm Edwards (!!!!!), Herm promptly says a bunch of weird stuff

Arizona State, hardly a football power by any means, fired head coach Todd Graham after a respectable 7-5 season and has entrusted their football program to Herm Edwards, who has been ranting aimlessly about football-related stuff on ESPN for about 10 years now.

Edwards had a 54-74 career record in his time in the NFL as the head coach of the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He was more known for his hilarious press conferences, full of bits of half-baked wisdom.

This seems like a totally ridiculous hiring from ASU.

Edwards has never been a head coach at the college level, although maybe he’ll be a master recruiter and turn ASU into a football powerhouse, no, HEY, stop laughing!

Luckily, Herm Edwards’ first press conference lived up to his previous reputation.

He dropped some absolute gems including claiming that the problem with American society is that “We don’t huddle anymore.”

Edwards also seemed to not know that the Arizona State mascot is the Sun Devils.

https://twitter.com/kg_holler/status/937751097955045376

To make the whole thing even more bizarre, Arizona State released a sprawling press release detailing their plans to turn the university’s football program into a Silicon Valley think tank or some shit. Here’s an excerpt of the jargon-filled release, which can really only be described as Sam Hinkie-esque:

“The department’s New Leadership Model will be similar to an NFL approach using a general manager structure. It’s a collaborative approach to managing the ASU football program that includes sport and administrative divisions, which will operate as distinct, but collective units focused on elevating all aspects of Sun Devil Football. This structure will allow the department to form a multi-layered method to the talent evaluation and recruiting processes, increase its emphasis on both student-athlete and coach development and retention, and provide a boost in resource allocation and generation.”

None of this means anything.

Regardless, I look forward to more Herm Edwards press conferences.

Tennessee football is an absolute mess

The University of Tennessee’s football program, which apparently at one point was good, is now terrible and seems like it’s been terrible for a very long time.

After firing head coach Butch Davis, the University has reached out to many coaches, including Jeff Brohm of Purdue, David Cutcliffe of Duke, Dan Mullen (took Florida job instead), and Dave Doeren of North Carolina State, all of who promptly turned down the job.

Tennessee did find someone they wanted and who wanted them back in the form of Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano. But as Schiano emerged as a candidate, people freaked the fuck out, mostly because of Schiano’s apparent knowledge of the Sandusky scandal, and also because Schiano is a shitty football coach.

Although Urban Meyer, head coach at Ohio State, did confirm that Schiano is an “elite father” so that’s cool.

The fallout from the Schiano fiasco and everyone turning down the UT job was so intense that Athletic Director John Currie had to issue a statement on almost hiring Schiano. Then John Currie himself was promptly fired. All is well in Knoxville!

Tennessee football has a proud history, but they haven’t really been relevant in the SEC for years, despite churning out great NFL players (Alvin Kamara, who will most likely be Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL, was sparingly used while at UT).

The expectations at Tennessee just don’t match reality and that’s what makes it such an unattractive job to prospective coaches. Meanwhile, the coaches that they do have kick the most talented players off the team for calling out the “lyin’ ass” coaching staff.

UT has no coach, no Athletic Director,and no sense of direction. Jalen Hurd, the team’s best player, left the program in November

I, for one, hope Tennessee never finds a coach.

While we’re all here, just pay the damn players.

college football July 21, 2017
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Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze escorted out of town for calling hookers

Just six weeks before Ole Miss is set to open its season against Alabama, coach Hugh Freeze resigned effective immediately Thursday night, a stunning move that will surely hurt an ascendant program.

ESPN is reporting that Ole Miss athletic department officials found a pattern of phone calls to a number associated with a female escort service.

Freeze might have a been a nice god-fearing man in public, but my man was trying to get it in.

“While Coach Freeze served our university well in many regards during his tenure, we simply cannot accept the conduct in his personal life that we have discovered,” Vitter said.

It is clear from his Twitter page that Freeze has a deep relationship with the man upstairs. His bio reads:

Twitter

His decision to resign is very sus: Freeze will leave roughly $13 million on the table over the next three years.

Freeze is a master recruiter who turned around a once dormant program.

Ole Miss had been on the brink of making a National Championship for several seasons but had never turned that elusive corner and entered the upper-echelon of college football.

Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork didn’t comment on the number of phone calls made to numbers similar to the female escort service or how far back the calls went.

He also said that not all of them were connected to different escort services, but that they were similar in nature. He said the pattern of calls was “troubling.”

Well then.

Maybe these calls explain how Ole Miss suddenly being one of the best recruiting programs in the country.