Been a minute since our last Sunday Morning QB. I had to go to the Coaching Convention two weeks ago and honestly this has been the longest season I have covered in my 25 years of work. I needed a little mini-break from football.
I really like what I have seen from the new coaching staff. They are offering plenty of players inside the state of Florida. They are casting a wide net at each position. You are not going to win recruiting battles by just relying on a handful of prospects. FSU is a brand. It is a school that plenty of kids want to play for. Take a look at Dylan Faison for Notre Dame. He was a 2* prospect out of Pinecrest in Fort Lauderdale. Pinecrest is a school that cost over $40,000 a year to go to so finding a player from there is not common. The reality is you can find kids at almost every school. The more four- and five-star players you take the odds of you having success are greater. There are way fewer four- and five-star prospects then there are three-star prospects.
Recent commitments:
Chavez Thompson (Cocoa HS) 6-1, 310 - Here is a kid who was committed early on to Oregon. While he does not fit the physical statue of a P4 OL, he is a wide body. I want guys who are wide. Ones that can put on the weight and handle it moving forward. Thompson has some length. The reality is he will most likely play center in college. At 6-1 or 6-2 you can play center as long as you have some length. Worst-case scenario he will end up a quality backup. I do think he can play at FSU. You take a look at Jake Slaughter. He was a kid FSU had committed, cooled on, he went to UF and became an All-American. My take on OL is you grab as many as want to come. It is a numbers game on the OL.
Antonio Cromartie Jr. (Carrollton, Ga.) - One thing is for certain this kid has to be used to competing. Heck, he has a ton of brothers and sisters. He is a kid that probably still has room to grow. He may still have another growth spurt in him and end up around 6-1 or 6-2. With the numbers going to 105 this kid fits the bill. He is not a great player but with his pedigree and a willingness to work you never know what someone like Antonio will turn out to be.
I am not drinking the Kool -aid. I have never been one to be super optimistic. That being said with the additions through the portal and what FSU is bringing back I expect a turnaround in 2025. I could easily see the team win 8-9 games and fans start to feel good about the program again. Once again this is a year-to-year deal in college football. These things will change quickly. FSU is in the ACC. Most of the ACC is not very good. So far I like what the new hires are doing. They seem more engaged in recruiting. It seems like this staff as a whole feels they have something to prove. Motivation. It is something I don't believe the prior staff had. I do think this staff is very motivated. Gus is in the Chip Kelly mode. He needs to win now.
On to the championship game. I am really glad I don't have to hear about what a great story ND was this year anymore. They lost. So the story did not have a Hollywood ending. I am not a fan of Ryan Day. I think anytime a coach has to tell people how tough their team is over and over is not a good coach. He won because 1) he has one of the best staffs in the country, 2) he had the best roster in the country. TALENT WINS....PERIOD. Congrats to Day for getting over the hump. He has now proven that Ohio State is the best job in the country. Ohio State has been great in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. It is the only program that has basically won big with every coach outside of John Cooper. Even Cooper won 10-11 games in seasons. Ohio State can recruit nationally, it is the best school in the midwest. It is a program that coaches can win quickly. The program has no one to really compete with. Who do they really compete with for recruits? NO ONE. They get who they want.
Now with that being said this team was the last of what we will see in college football. Ohio State now has a dilemma on their hands. Miami is going to go all in on Jeremiah Smith. Now I don't know if they will land him but they will push that price up. Ohio State now has to decide do we give Smith $5 million $6 million a year, because you know who else is asking for that much — Caleb Downs. Next season this is going to force Ohio State to go with Julian Sayin a RFR QB. Yes, he is highly rated but we have seen what happens when you play young QB's. They eventually fold.
Ohio State is going to lose Emeka Egbuka (WR), Josh Fryar (OT), Gee Scott (TE), Will Howard (QB), TreyVeon Henderson (SR), Quinshon Judkins (RB), Jack Sawyer (DE), Ty Hamilton (NT), J.T. Tuimoloau (DE), Cody Simon (LB), Denzel Burke (CB), Ransom Lathan (S), Jordan Hancock (CB), Davison Igbinosun (CB).
I know that with Jeremiah Smith asking for a ton of money it is going to probably cost them either Carnell Tate or Brandon Innis. Innis made a key catch for a first down in the game. I think he is the one who you can grab for relatively cheap if he hits the portal. Ohio State put a lot of money on the credit card and that bill is now due. You win and kids want to get paid. Next year is more of a rebuild year. I don't think Ohio State will be one of the higher paid teams. I expect them to try and develop Sayin next year. If they can get to 10-11 wins, possibly make the playoffs that is a great year in 2025. Ohio State won't be the same team.
ND - I wanted them to win but at the same time am not sad to see them lose. I personally am tired of the entitled attitude of that program where they don't have to be in a conference. I am sorry but at this point screw them. They will never win in my honest opinion. Some will say, well, they made the finals. Great....I think Marcus Freeman did a great job but a lot went right. They played a Georgia team that was a shell of themselves. Great win but UGA was banged up. Penn State fell apart. The reality is there were probably 2-3 teams I would have rather seen in the finals over ND.
Riley Leonard - I will give major props to Riley Leonard. I have been a big fan of his since I saw Leonard come into a game against Louisville when he was at Duke. Kid was a freshman and came in a blowout and went 15 for 15 in the game. He also rushed for another 100 yards. I think Leonard is one of the most underrated QBs in college football. I feel the kid will be a 10-year vet in the NFL. May be a career backup but someone will take a chance on him.
Who you got in 2025. I think Texas will be the team to beat. Arch Manning is the real deal. I think getting Cedric Baxter back will be huge. If he plays for Texas this year, they win the title. He would have run the ball in from the 1-yard line. Kid was special until he got injured. Texas has recruited at an elite level.
Patience - Ohio State fans wanted Ryan Day gone. It took him six years at Ohio State to win a title. He basically was handed the keys to a Ferrari and it still took him awhile to win. James Franklin takes a lot of heat but Penn State just had its best season. It is tough to win titles. This oh you have to win by year 3....Unless the stars align and a coach gets lucky, I just don't see that happening again. Guys like Lincoln Riley can win titles. You can win with Sark. It just takes time to win. Saban did not have success at Michigan State. He did not win until he got to LSU. I just think fans really need to fix their expectations. The coaches are signing long term deals and schools are going to give these guys a chance to win. Paying off $75 million at Texas A&M got them exactly what Jimbo gave them. Maybe they should have just let Jimbo stay and see what happens.
At the convention the coaches all met in a room. I saw Mark Stoops, Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables, Hugh Freeze. There were many others and they spent four hours discussing what the portal window would look like moving forward. This is why college football needs to break off from the NCAA, create its own league and have a commissioner. There are more pressing needs then just the portal. They just can't get anything done.
I really like what I have seen from the new coaching staff. They are offering plenty of players inside the state of Florida. They are casting a wide net at each position. You are not going to win recruiting battles by just relying on a handful of prospects. FSU is a brand. It is a school that plenty of kids want to play for. Take a look at Dylan Faison for Notre Dame. He was a 2* prospect out of Pinecrest in Fort Lauderdale. Pinecrest is a school that cost over $40,000 a year to go to so finding a player from there is not common. The reality is you can find kids at almost every school. The more four- and five-star players you take the odds of you having success are greater. There are way fewer four- and five-star prospects then there are three-star prospects.
Recent commitments:
Chavez Thompson (Cocoa HS) 6-1, 310 - Here is a kid who was committed early on to Oregon. While he does not fit the physical statue of a P4 OL, he is a wide body. I want guys who are wide. Ones that can put on the weight and handle it moving forward. Thompson has some length. The reality is he will most likely play center in college. At 6-1 or 6-2 you can play center as long as you have some length. Worst-case scenario he will end up a quality backup. I do think he can play at FSU. You take a look at Jake Slaughter. He was a kid FSU had committed, cooled on, he went to UF and became an All-American. My take on OL is you grab as many as want to come. It is a numbers game on the OL.
Antonio Cromartie Jr. (Carrollton, Ga.) - One thing is for certain this kid has to be used to competing. Heck, he has a ton of brothers and sisters. He is a kid that probably still has room to grow. He may still have another growth spurt in him and end up around 6-1 or 6-2. With the numbers going to 105 this kid fits the bill. He is not a great player but with his pedigree and a willingness to work you never know what someone like Antonio will turn out to be.
I am not drinking the Kool -aid. I have never been one to be super optimistic. That being said with the additions through the portal and what FSU is bringing back I expect a turnaround in 2025. I could easily see the team win 8-9 games and fans start to feel good about the program again. Once again this is a year-to-year deal in college football. These things will change quickly. FSU is in the ACC. Most of the ACC is not very good. So far I like what the new hires are doing. They seem more engaged in recruiting. It seems like this staff as a whole feels they have something to prove. Motivation. It is something I don't believe the prior staff had. I do think this staff is very motivated. Gus is in the Chip Kelly mode. He needs to win now.
On to the championship game. I am really glad I don't have to hear about what a great story ND was this year anymore. They lost. So the story did not have a Hollywood ending. I am not a fan of Ryan Day. I think anytime a coach has to tell people how tough their team is over and over is not a good coach. He won because 1) he has one of the best staffs in the country, 2) he had the best roster in the country. TALENT WINS....PERIOD. Congrats to Day for getting over the hump. He has now proven that Ohio State is the best job in the country. Ohio State has been great in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. It is the only program that has basically won big with every coach outside of John Cooper. Even Cooper won 10-11 games in seasons. Ohio State can recruit nationally, it is the best school in the midwest. It is a program that coaches can win quickly. The program has no one to really compete with. Who do they really compete with for recruits? NO ONE. They get who they want.
Now with that being said this team was the last of what we will see in college football. Ohio State now has a dilemma on their hands. Miami is going to go all in on Jeremiah Smith. Now I don't know if they will land him but they will push that price up. Ohio State now has to decide do we give Smith $5 million $6 million a year, because you know who else is asking for that much — Caleb Downs. Next season this is going to force Ohio State to go with Julian Sayin a RFR QB. Yes, he is highly rated but we have seen what happens when you play young QB's. They eventually fold.
Ohio State is going to lose Emeka Egbuka (WR), Josh Fryar (OT), Gee Scott (TE), Will Howard (QB), TreyVeon Henderson (SR), Quinshon Judkins (RB), Jack Sawyer (DE), Ty Hamilton (NT), J.T. Tuimoloau (DE), Cody Simon (LB), Denzel Burke (CB), Ransom Lathan (S), Jordan Hancock (CB), Davison Igbinosun (CB).
I know that with Jeremiah Smith asking for a ton of money it is going to probably cost them either Carnell Tate or Brandon Innis. Innis made a key catch for a first down in the game. I think he is the one who you can grab for relatively cheap if he hits the portal. Ohio State put a lot of money on the credit card and that bill is now due. You win and kids want to get paid. Next year is more of a rebuild year. I don't think Ohio State will be one of the higher paid teams. I expect them to try and develop Sayin next year. If they can get to 10-11 wins, possibly make the playoffs that is a great year in 2025. Ohio State won't be the same team.
ND - I wanted them to win but at the same time am not sad to see them lose. I personally am tired of the entitled attitude of that program where they don't have to be in a conference. I am sorry but at this point screw them. They will never win in my honest opinion. Some will say, well, they made the finals. Great....I think Marcus Freeman did a great job but a lot went right. They played a Georgia team that was a shell of themselves. Great win but UGA was banged up. Penn State fell apart. The reality is there were probably 2-3 teams I would have rather seen in the finals over ND.
Riley Leonard - I will give major props to Riley Leonard. I have been a big fan of his since I saw Leonard come into a game against Louisville when he was at Duke. Kid was a freshman and came in a blowout and went 15 for 15 in the game. He also rushed for another 100 yards. I think Leonard is one of the most underrated QBs in college football. I feel the kid will be a 10-year vet in the NFL. May be a career backup but someone will take a chance on him.
Who you got in 2025. I think Texas will be the team to beat. Arch Manning is the real deal. I think getting Cedric Baxter back will be huge. If he plays for Texas this year, they win the title. He would have run the ball in from the 1-yard line. Kid was special until he got injured. Texas has recruited at an elite level.
Patience - Ohio State fans wanted Ryan Day gone. It took him six years at Ohio State to win a title. He basically was handed the keys to a Ferrari and it still took him awhile to win. James Franklin takes a lot of heat but Penn State just had its best season. It is tough to win titles. This oh you have to win by year 3....Unless the stars align and a coach gets lucky, I just don't see that happening again. Guys like Lincoln Riley can win titles. You can win with Sark. It just takes time to win. Saban did not have success at Michigan State. He did not win until he got to LSU. I just think fans really need to fix their expectations. The coaches are signing long term deals and schools are going to give these guys a chance to win. Paying off $75 million at Texas A&M got them exactly what Jimbo gave them. Maybe they should have just let Jimbo stay and see what happens.
At the convention the coaches all met in a room. I saw Mark Stoops, Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables, Hugh Freeze. There were many others and they spent four hours discussing what the portal window would look like moving forward. This is why college football needs to break off from the NCAA, create its own league and have a commissioner. There are more pressing needs then just the portal. They just can't get anything done.
