So pure. Its nice to see kids raised right. I'm a huge fan now! Go Noles!

I will go out on a limb and say Kansas makes the playoffs next year. They will be the favorites to win the big 12 who gets an automatic bid. Lance should have been picked up by another big time program. His offense is impressive and what he has done at Kansas is unreal. That’s a very good football team.

We will write up a short story but wanted to share this:

Knowles was awful in the Clemson when Dent was out.

Apparently Tate has decided to transfer and opts out of bowl.

No way Tate is leaving without that already a done deal right?

FSU's newest QB, Luke Kromenhoek, sat down with the Osceola to talk about officially joining the Tribe, joining the team for the Orange Bowl and what he thought about UGA offering him a scholarship at the 11th hour. Hope you enjoy.

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GO NOLES!!!

Just trying to figure out do Coaches/teams control NIL money. For example. Let's say Mt. Dew wants to offer a player 2 million for their NIL, do they contact the player directly or does Norvell/FSU have to approve it. Is NIL structured as a "salary cap" managed by the team?

Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins discusses practices leading up to the Orange Bowl, preparing Brock Glenn for his second start, Florida State's opt outs and more.

"A lot of excitement because we got a lot of guys that are going to be able to play that hadn’t played a bunch," Atkins said. "Their excitement levels are through the roof. They’ve been waiting for their chance to show and prove what they’ve been doing in practice every day."

Some other thoughts from Atkins:

(On the opt outs) "I don’t think there’s an issue. You got individuals making choices for their individualism. But the team of Florida State and the brand, the team is here to perform. It also gives you a preview of what’s to come, little flashes of what’s to come in the future."

(On Georgia) "They play swarm, attack defense. And they have two of the best safeties in the country. It’s very evident. The way the defense is built there’s not many holes or leverages you can attack because you have both safeties who can attack you, whether they be field or boundary. And you have a defensive line that can smother you and keep you in tight so they can leverage the football. A lot of their three-down stuff is to prevent things from going to the edges. You got to make sure you’re presenting some difficulties and problems, maybe formationally and find ways to attack them and leverage them."

(On adjusting to the changes in the roster) "The guys that are playing have been here. We didn’t add anybody. We know the capability of those guys. It’s just more excitement of those guys being able to step into those roles. We have a confident football team. Everybody on our team feels like they should be the guy. I’m excited for those guys to showcase their ability because they were recruited here for a reason. And we can’t wait to show why we recruited them and put on display why we recruited them."

(On Brock Glenn) "When Brock first got here, when he came in the spring, I thought as a freshman quarterback, he was the most dedicated to preparation that I had seen in a long time. Usually there’s an acclimation period where you have to teach a guy how to play the position, they have to come meet, learn how to meet, learn to put the extra time in. Brock came in already like a sponge. He came from a good high school program up there in Tennessee. He really took the preparation aspect early. He early enrolled and he was in with Jordan, he was in with Tate. He had a little setback during the season with a thumb injury. … What I loved is he always challenged our quarterbacks coach, Tony Tokarz. Every time, we would be sitting there as an offensive staff and Brock would come knock on the door and pull him out. Because he wanted to start over and go back through installs from Day 1. What I’m impressed with is how much we haven’t had to limit him because he understands the big picture of it. Now it’s just about building the offense to the things that he does well and make sure our part of accountability is putting him in situations where he can have success and things he feels comfortable with."

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From the Georgia Rivals site:

MIAMI – Kirby Smart did not offer any specifics regarding which of his players might not take part in the Orange Bowl. Yet it appears the list could be smaller than first thought.

“Right now, we’ve got our guys that are healthy, playing; guys who are healthy have said they are going to play,” Smart said upon the team’s arrival at the Miami International Airport Tuesday afternoon. “But we do have guys who are dinged up and injured trying to fight their way back. We’ll see if they can go or not in the game.”

That list includes tight end Brock Bowers, who did travel with the team, along with right tackle Amarius Mims and wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

Smart indicated it would be Bowers’ decision whether or not he will play.

"That's up to Brock. Brock's been with us the whole time and he's been doing all the things he's got to do,” Smart said. "It's more important though that he's 100 percent. The guy probably played earlier than he should have, came out there and competed his butt off. He's done everything he can for Georgia. He's not 100 percent so it makes it a little harder to do."

Smart said he expects McConkey to be able to play.

"Ladd's been great. Ladd's been practicing with us, working out. Ladd wants to play. Ladd's missed some games and hasn't been able to play in some games,” Smart said. “He's still coming off of an injury in the SEC Championship Game that he's still not 100 percent from. But he's out there every day, taking reps, catching punts, he's doing a lot of good things. He's doing a lot of good things (inaudible). He's practicing, hitting good miles per hour. Ladd should be good to go."

How come no one here is talking about this.
First and foremost, can we legally boycott this bowl game?
What are the Penalties or Other Ramifications by doing this?
I like to know your thoughts on this.

I personally think we should boycott.
Make zero sense for us to just go play and Kowtow to this BS committee.
We have plenty to lose if we lose.
Yes, $$$$ is one of them.

If we lose to UGA, the committee will smirk and say I told you so.
Let be honest, there is a high % we will lose to them since no one is playing.
Secondly, we need to take a stand, and this is the only way to fight back against this.

The only way I'll play is if we get paid the same amount or more than the CFP teams.

FSU officially kicks off Miami week Monday afternoon with press conferences from Mike Norvell and the Seminoles' three coordinators. Shortly before that, FSU released its Miami week depth chart, which has no changes from last week's depth chart despite a number of Seminoles on the depth chart missing Saturday's game at Pittsburgh.

We'll probably get updates of some sort on Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Jarrian Jones and the other Seminoles who missed the Pitt game from Norvell during his Monday press conference.

Tuesday practice?

With all of the opt-outs for various reasons, I'm pretty sure most people are not giving us much of a chance at pulling off the upset against UGA this weekend. It kind of makes for a relaxed attitude going into the game. It will be nice to see the young players get meaningful minutes, and it will be easy to get excited about the good plays. If we keep it close, or (I know) even pull off the upset it will be that much sweeter. I don't think the kids that will be playing will just lay down like the world is expecting them to do, and there will be lots of talent on the field, just inexperienced.

Some thoughts from Tony Tokarz on Brock Glenn (from an interview last Wednesday) as well as the challenges of preparing inexperienced quarterbacks for tough situations and big moments:

George Mason University Assistant Vice President & Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis has named Aaron Brunner as the sixth head coach in the history of the Patriot women's soccer program.

A native Virginian with almost 25 years of coaching experience, Brunner joins Mason coming off a National Championship with Florida State. An assistant coach for the past two seasons, Brunner was part of the Seminoles’ staff that was named the 2023 United Soccer Coaches Coaching Staff of the Year.

The staff led FSU to the greatest season in program history as the Seminoles captured its fourth National Championship while finishing the season undefeated for the first time in program history. The title completes an extraordinary run for the Seminoles in the NCAA Tournament where they outscored their opponents 21-1.

“We are excited for Aaron to lead our women’s soccer program,” said Assistant Vice President & Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis. “He is committed to the student-athlete experience and has won at the highest level. His demonstrated track record of developing top talent and building championship level programs makes him the perfect fit. Aaron played an integral role in Florida State’s remarkable national championship run this past season. He was lauded for his detailed-oriented approach, player development prowess and strong communications skills as the Seminoles were recognized as the National Coaching Staff of the Year.”

“I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Todd Bramble, our Deputy Athletics Director, Intercollegiate Sports and Interim Women’s Soccer Coach, for his leadership this past season as well as directing our search to find an outstanding new leader and head coach for our women’s soccer program,” added Lewis.

“Mason Athletics is committed to supporting Aaron in re-energizing our women’s soccer program and creating a winning culture for our student-athletes to achieve academic success and compete for championships. We are also thrilled that Aaron’s wife, the former Kristin Portell, a graduate and four-year letterwinner, is returning to George Mason. Welcome home, Brunner family!”

In two seasons at FSU, the staff posted a 39-3-4 record with two ACC Championships, two ACC Tournament Championships, two College Cup appearances and the 2023 National Championship.

The team of coaches helped produce a school record five All-Americans as well as seven All-ACC honorees, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, the ACC Freshman of the Year, two MAC Hermann Semifinalists, one MAC Hermann Finalist and a Honda Sports Award Finalist.

"I feel honored to have been selected as the head coach for George Mason University's Women's Soccer team,” said Brunner. “I would like to express my gratitude to Marvin Lewis for giving me the opportunity to lead this accomplished and proud program along with its student-athletes. Taking this program to the next level is a real possibility and presents a great opportunity to succeed, as history has shown. I am excited to connect with the team, staff, and George Mason administrators. This endeavor is a total school effort, and I am eager to start this journey."

In his first season as an assistant coach at Florida State, Brunner helped lead the Seminoles back to the College Cup with a 17-3-3 record and was named part of the 2022 Atlantic Region Staff of the Year. Brunner coached two All-Americans on the offensive side of the ball (Jenna Nighswonger and Jody Brown).

Prior to Florida State, Brunner served as the ECNL Director, Director of Operations, and Head Coach for Richmond United/Strikers for more than 10 years.

Brunner served on the coaching staff full-time for the girls ECNL before serving as the Richmond United Director of ECNL Operations. He coached multiple Richmond United ECNL Girls Teams, and holds his US Soccer A License, US Soccer Talent Scout License, and US Soccer National Youth License. Brunner was the ECNL National Selection Director and is US Soccer National Coaching Education Instructor.

In 2003, Brunner began coaching youth locally in Virginia with the Prince William SI where he was named the 2009 National Youth Coach of the Year, USYSA Region I Coach of the Year, and VYSA State Coach of the Year while at PWSI.

At the national level, Brunner worked with the United States Women’s Senior National Team as an opponent scout. He has worked with multiple youth national teams within the United States Soccer Federation serving as the Talent ID Scout for the Women’s Youth National Teams (u14, u15 and u17) from 2015 through 2018.

During that time Brunner also served as the U.S. Soccer Training Center Program Liaison for Virginia. He was an opponent scout for the u15 and u17 Women’s National Team during their CONCACAF Championships.

Hailing from Prince William County in Northern Virginia, Brunner played varsity soccer for four years at C.D. Hylton High School. The Bulldogs won two VHSL AAA State championships, three Regional Championships, and four District championships. During one season, team claimed the #1-ranked high school program in the country by NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches).

The standout received accolades throughout high school, including NSCAA All-South, VHSL 1st Team All-State, Washington Post 1st Team All-Met, and the VHSL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. After graduating, he was a four-year starter for New Hampshire, playing multiple positions, mainly as a winger or attacking center midfielder. He earned All-Tournament Team accolades at Clemson, Penn State, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

After completing his collegiate career and graduating with a B.A. degree in psychology, Brunner signed with the New Hampshire Phantoms and played one season. Despite his passion for playing soccer, Brunner pursued coaching joining the Seacoast United Soccer Club staff based out of Hampton, New Hampshire, where he earned NHYSA State Coach of the Year.

The move is also a homecoming for Brunner’s wife Kristin Portell, who played for George Mason from 2002-2005. They have two children, Owen and Sophie.

Just in from FSU: There will be a previously-unscheduled FSU Board of Trustees meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. It will be virtual and open to media/public and is expected to be a revamped discussion of FSU’s future in the ACC and a possible way out through testing the Grant of Rights agreement legally.

Here's the agenda which has only one new business item on it: Legal matters related to Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

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We'll be sharing updates from the meeting in this thread.

And how many do you send?

My Uncle just gave me 30 mixed Christmas/holiday cards that are great for mailing to work colleagues, family members and friends.

They're the perfect mix of religious and secular.

Do you mail out holiday cards? When is the right time to do it?

How many do you send?

Merry Christmas Nole fans!!! Everyone safe travels. GO NOLES!!!!!!

Scoffing at the thought of a couple of 1-loss teams passing ND, Herbstreit chuckles, “It’s impossible - they’re 12-0”
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down to $75. I’m thinking of going if they get to $30-$40. Anyone have a good hotel recommendation near the stadium or Uber ride away?

There was a time in college football when the second Wednesday in February was a do or die day. What your coaches signed that day is the class you had to ride with. Lose a top recruit in the 11th hour and you were screwed for 365 days with no transfer portal, which enables coaches to fill position needs not met on signing day.

The early signing period and the portal have dramatically changed recruiting but many of us are still looking at the Early Signing Day as do or die, forgetting opportunities remain.

Recruiting has evolved but have we?