Mike Davis is safe. Despite the persistent Web-based rumors, I doubt Davis had any interest in the Alabama job.
Instead, the Crimson Tide inked the much heralded coach from VCU, Anthony Grant.
Click HERE for a column about Grant and his first press conference by the esteemed sports journalist Cecil Hurt.
6 comments:
College coaches are whores, and universities are enablers to these guys. Calipari to Kentucky for $5M per year?
I'm not too worried about what a university who hires carpetbaggers like Nick Saban does.
The NCAA are hypocrites, "Student-athletes?" Universities and the NCAA make millions off of these kids, yet they can't even receive a little stipend to get pizza money? It's laughable.
And the kids who committed to these coaches are stuck when the coach leaves for more money elsewhere by forcing them to sit out a year if they transfer schools.
Thanks for the rant, my friend.
Saban went from the NFL, which he didn't like, back to the premier college football conference. And, well, Alabama fans like themselves some football.
I like your point about the predicament of student-athletes when coaches go someplace else, which is why student-athletes should think about the university first, not the coaches.
If students thought about universities first, there would be no need for recruiting visits, numerous mailings to recruits, or endless text messaging from coaches.
It naive to think that students will choose to play basketball because Alabama has a great Recreational Science program.
Oh, I'm fine with student-athletes having the ability to transfer once with no sitting-out time (as you discussed in your first post), but I'd have a problem with a U of Memphis recruit getting out of his commitment to play at Kentucky since Calipari went there.
But those football and basketball and baseball players have it rough: free tuition and board, tutors, meals and trips paid for, an assortment of hoochie mommas to chose from, etc.
And there recruits who choose one school over another because of academic programs. For example, Alabama's very strong College of Business has helped sway a number of recruits to ink with the Tide.
These kids aren't stupid. They know that a coach might get canned or jump ship. Hell, it happens all the time.
I guarantee no one on the football or basketball program is attending Alabama because of the College of Business.
I'm not saying that academics is the main factor because it isn't. But it can be a factor.
Say you have a safety prospect who has offers from Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Ole Miss.
He looks at playing time, athletics facilities, fan support, and the coaching staff, and all schools are in a dead heat for getting him. The recruiting process winnows down his choices to be LSU or Alabama. Alabama or LSU has a stronger major in what he's interested in going into, and the academic factor could play into his decision making.
In reports about recruits looking for schools to play ball at, academics and majors are mentioned all the time. And, in fact, with the NCAA getting serious about "academic progress rates," there's a lot of competition to get student-athletes who excel in the classroom because the NCAA can penalize programs for doing poorly at academics by taking away scholarships. Such athletes are hot commodities because they're both solid athletically and academically.
Demeco Ryans, rookie of the year in the NFL a couple of years ago, is a good example. He was a solid recruit coming out of Alabama and did an outstanding job in the classroom and on the field. When the good guys walloped Florida in Bryant-Denny, he was calling out the plays that the Gator QB (Leak) was calling because of his film study prowess.
I don't know if your last comment is meant to exemplify the stereotyping of football and basketball players at DI schools as "dumb jocks," but such a stereotype is, well, dumb. Sure, there are guys who somehow they'll make it into the "league" or there are some kids who don't have strong grades or test scores, but most major college programs now are very good at educating student-athletes that their chances of playing in the NFL or NBA are very slim at best.
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