Thoughts on UGA Football Future

UGA has made a huge step forward.

Not that long ago we were hoping for one or two talented in-state players to sign the LOI to play football in Athens.

There is much to be said about these young men verbally committing to a university in today’s culture then having a change of heart/mind.

From where I sit, believe I can put my finger on much of the heart/mind changing. Comes down to playing time, or seeing playing time rather quickly. There is little doubt that the players today have better coaching, better training facilities and an internet that keeps them comprised of “who is doing what/where” while still in high school.

Players being strong in high school football sometimes have a hard time when strapping on the challenges of college football. Some with very solid football knowledge and talent gain playing time right away. That also goes to which school they have pledged to. If it is Alabama for example, great talent along with college experience over shadow the great athlete arriving as a freshman.

For many players it is hard to wrap their teenage brain around the difference in Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. World of difference. Once putting on the football gear for their first few practices, they find out quickly, everyone wants to start and play on Saturdays. Playing for Nick Saban or Kirby Smart, ground rules are the same . . . . earn it. Lip service can sometimes work in high school, in the SEC, learn the hard way.

The huge step forward that I see is a commitment from those coaches running our program in 2016 and beyond. Good first steps have been made, and that was sorely needed. 2017 could be the best year of recruiting that we have had . . . . ever, at UGA. Young men will have to come in and expect to learn from those that teach them and those that are a year or two ahead of them in the SEC.

Conversations about UGA Football are soon to be ramped up, both by the media and FANS. UGA Football is going to be a “hot issue” in 2016. A different kind of football interest is now a part of the FAN base. Packed Sanford Stadium and City of Athens covered with FANS that could not get into the stadium points to a revived/renewed interest that has been missing for too long.

Great get. More to come.

247sports.com/Player/Robert-Beal-80050

www.hudl.com/video/3/3127648/5721d4fa4df6124b7022a0ce

In the video below it reveals one of the reasons that folks like Beal and Nauta chose to play football in Bradenton (IMG).

Better facilities than many or maybe most college S&C facilities.

High fives again to Coach Jeremy Pruitt for his "efforts" in moving UGA forward in the college football world. New Indoor Practice Facility will expand our coaches ability to recruit outside of the Peach State, as well as keep many young men in the Peach State.

Slackers not allowed to play for IMG. Excellent coaches that could easily be coaching in college and the pros.

Smart and Company are aware.

The 2017 group of players are setting their sites high. Almost every player that will be a part of the 2017 group say very similar things, one of them being playing for more than a secondary or lower tier bowl. That is plain and simply a "Fact Jack".

I'm not really a fan of the IMg program. Idk, I'd rather just see a kid stay in his hometown and play with his buddies. Thirty years ago there was a lot of pride between the local high schools around here. Not so much any more. All the good players either go to private schools or figure out how to get in the few power programs. Back in the day the public schools could kick the snot out of private schools. Now private schools get some good players and are very competitive. I'm not a soccer fan but it's awesome when low income Latino schools whip a snazzy private school in futbol.

It's expensive to attend IMg if you are just chasing the dream. Look in the pictures of this article and see if you can guess who is getting a full ride and who is paying 68k per year.

highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/...ln-football-players/

Good read Scooby. Have done a lot of talking football with some folks that are clued in on IMG.

Like every high school or college program, there are going to be those that excel and find that their being on campus is a "needed asset" to IMG's future. Applies to every athletic program, like I mentioned above, Pee Wee, High School or College. Yes there are the very talented that do not "pay anything". That is not written into the bylaws, that is handled differently.

One of the positives at IMG reminds me of the Military. Copied the paragraph below from the article.

“That first couple weeks, I’m not going to lie, it’s rough because you don’t have same teachers every day staying on you. You manage your own time, they’re not babysitting you,” Stokes said. “At first thought it was really hard, but once you get used to it, it’s fine.”

Life lessons are also a part of playing a sport at IMG. While the money sounds like a lot, and it is, if it keeps a young man off of the corner or just floundering around, it is worth ten times the amount charged.

Costs a lot to the taxpayer to put young men and women into the different branches of service. I have known many that would have been total failures if they had not entered the service of their choice.

Takes me to this . . . . Kirby Smart is all about the young men doing more than putting on the pads and cleats. Some coaches are better than others getting through to these teenagers.

In the Armed Forces they would take you down to zero and build you up to 100% if they could. There were of course exceptions to the rule. We have recently seen that with the teenaged players arriving on campus in Athens. Takes some longer than others. There however has to be a guiding force and I believe we have that with Smart and Company.

Thanks for the article Scooby.