Gridironstuds.com Blog

I have been paying attention and I hope you have been too.  Top tier college football programs are finding it difficult to polish off those teams they have historically demolished by half time.  This year, more than ever, it seems that the meek are beginning to rise.  Just this past week I watched Utah St. beat someone (Wyoming) by 49 points!  Utah State!  This would have never have happened 10 years ago and I don’t care who Utah St. was playing.  Wake Forest jumps up and beats Florida St.  Syracuse had to travel to the edges of hell to beat Tulane 37-34.

Previous weeks has seen more glaring examples of the parity I have been noticing. Week before last week had Western Michigan beating Connecticut on the road.  Bethune Cookman keeping Miami in check until late in the 3rd quarter.  SMU beating TCU on the road!  Week four there was, of course, Temple crushing Maryland.  Virginia losing at home to Southern Mississippi.  Auburn wrapped up in a battle with Florida Atlantic through four quarters.  Ten years ago,  that’s a 56-7 football game.  There’s also North Dakota St. traveling to Minnesota and winning by two touchdowns.  You need more?  How about Temple losing by only four to Penn St.  How about Toledo taking Ohio St. down to the wire.   Tulsa putting up 33 points on Oklahoma St.  Washington barely beating Hawaii 40-32.  Clemson only beating Wofford 35-27.

As sites like Rivals.com and Scout.com begin hitting the 10 year mark of being significant and a load of other recruiting websites pop up monthly doing their due diligence to find hidden talent in every city, state and county,  college coaches can recruit from their desktop.  This allows the college programs with smaller budgets to navigate into parts of the country where they would not have dared to go in year’s past.  Now,  from their computer,  a small school in Illinois can find an under-recruited kid in Texas with talent and find out if he would be interested before they spend money on a trip down there to see him.  In the past,  that small school from Illinois would not risk their budget to go down into Texas to find a kid that they think would either go to Texas or at the worst TCU.

This ability to shop for recruits from the office is bringing better talent to the smaller schools and depleting the “quality depth” of a lot of the major Division-I programs.  Only the big time programs that have remained savvy and embraced the Internet recruiting will remain as relevant as they have always been.  Programs with the old school mentality will sink in the rankings and relativity scale like a led balloon.  We are watching it before our eyes.  Smaller programs that make the most of what recruiting sites have to offer can see themselves ascend quickly and give the big time school fits.  Once they sleigh a dragon on a Saturday,  now even more eyes will be on their program.

This phenomenon also refocuses the importance on coaching and player development.  Once upon a time,  staffs at big time schools could just go out and shoot fish in a barrel and bring in big time talent.  The better talent would get you a win on at least nine Saturday’s per season.  If  a coach could recruit well he always had a job.  Well now,  recruiting won’t be enough.  Some college programs have not figured this out yet but they will sooner or later.  If you can’t bring in your talent and develop them,  you will get beat more often than not by some of these smaller programs that have been having to coach their tails off for years just to compete.   It’s happening I tell you.

Some big time programs are crumbling and these are the major factors that are contributing.  Embracing and using Internet recruiting sites to the fullest and developing your talent will be the two major factors in a college program maintaining their superiority and in smaller programs climbing their way onto the theater stage.

General college football recruiting, high school football, rivals, scout

There are rules and then there are rules.  Fed up with Demias Jimerson’s dominance of the youth league in Malvern, Arkansas,  the league has dusted off an old rule in brought it back in.

Jimerson is now subjected to the Madre Hill rule named after current Oakland Raider and former Wilson Intermediate Football League competitor Madre Hill.  The rule states that the player in question can not score a touchdown if he has already scored three times and his team has a 14 point lead or more.

This will make short work on many game days for Jimerson who has already scored seven touchdowns in a game this season.  This is a feat he is not likely to repeat again given the rule being instituted.    Unless of course,  the coach wants to tank it on defense.  Not a likely scenario.

The commissioner of the league Teri Bryant says the rule is in place to keep the other 21 players on the field involved in the contest.  Perhaps he’s right.  A seven touchdown performance by one player is likely to leave everyone in attendance including the players in spectator mode.

What do you think of a rule like this and is there anyone in your youth league that you think should have a rule like this placed up on them?  Tell me your thoughts.

General demias jimerson, Youth Football, youth running back

I wonder if Connor Moore brings syrup to his games. If he doesn’t, then I’m going to have to recommend that he does.  Moore is doing nothing but serving up pancakes from his offensive tackle spot and sticking to defenders like the good stuff from Aunt Jemima.  Once this relentless beast sets his sights on you,  pack your things because you’re moving.  It’s hilarious to watch Moore turn defensive tackles into defensive backs when they find themselves deep in the secondary at the end of the play.  Moore is not massive in size like a lot of tackles today but what he may lack in girth,  he more than makes up for in quickness, determination and pure 100% desire.  Only the whistle can save the man in front of him.  It’s a joy to watch this kind of tenacity on the football field.  You can expect a host of scouts to be on this prospect’s trail come the end of the 2011 season.  Check out Connor Moore’s highlight video at Gridironstuds.com,  click here.

General connor moore, vero beach high school

You ask any of the top college football programs in the country about recruiting and they will tell you in a heartbeat that they would much rather deal with the high school coach or the parents of a prospect than the street agent, 7-on-7 coach or the “uncle” who really isn’t the uncle.

There was a time when a college football coach looking to recruit a prospect would call or visit the high school coach for information on the recruit.  More and more these days,  the first call to get info is going to a 3rd party who may not always have the best intentions.   Third party operations have been existence for quite some time.  When I was coming up there was the magazine called Super Preps that would rank recruits.  There was also Parade Magazine, Blue Chips, etc.  Those publications would provide pertinent information on recruits and tell you where they were located.  However,  the college coach looking to recruit the player still needed to call the high school coach to recruit the kid.  Nowadays,  your “street agent” will work it where they are the only contact if you want to get to the kid and some of them will bill you like a law firm.   It’s a money making venture for the 3rd party and the player is sold off to the highest bidder.  This is not a good look for college football recruiting.

I have spoken to colleges who will flat out avoid a certain area of the country because of the proliferation of street agents in that area.  Some have taken a stand against those types but how long can they last doing that?

The major reason that street agents have multiplied like locust is because high school football coaches have not grown with the recruiting game.  Many high school coaches simply feel like helping their athlete with recruiting is not their responsibility.  They are under the false impression that if the kid is good they will be found or that there are so many companies out there willing to take the responsibility of recruiting over that I don’t have to get involved.   This is where the mistake is made.

As the high school coach,  you are the mentor for the player.  You are the example.  For a lot of the athletes you represent the only constant male figure in their lives.  When you turn a blind eye or give less than your best effort to help them achieve their dreams you open the door for disaster.  It is, for lack of a better term, a modern day “pimp and hoe” situation.  If you aren’t telling your daughter how pretty she is, how valuable she is,  how much she is worth then you run the risk of some unsavory character taking over when he’s willing to tell her those things.

High school coaches ignoring the recruiting game run the risk of losing their players to the street agents and third parties that call the shots for your athlete that is playing for you.  Why?  Because that street agent is doing YOUR JOB.  Yes,  recruiting is your job.  It’s more now than just waiting for the school to call you and then talking to them.  High school coaches have to be proactive.  Reach out to the colleges.  Use quality third parties to achieve this when necessary.  Gather, maintain and manage the information on who is recruiting your athletes.  Make it your job.  If you are too busy,  assign the job to a coach or staff helper.   Whatever you do,  don’t just ignore it.

Failing to assist your athlete with recruiting screams loudly “I don’t really care about you”.  What is a teenager other than a bundle of dreams.  If they want to play college football,  you should do everything in your power to try and make that happen.  If they can run your 110′s, push your sled, hit in your Oklahoma drill,  get up for your 5:30 AM practices so that you can shine on Friday Night then you better be willing to go the extra mile to secure them  an education.   Ignore this information and open the door for the street agent to make all of the decisions regarding that athlete.  That can range from staying out of practice,  missing a workout to no longer attending your school.

General college football recruiting, street agents, Will Lyles

“Chad I think you should play cornerback.”  Those words from a childhood friend of mine in 1986 brought fire to my belly.  ”Man I’m a running back,” I fired back.  I was going to be the next Eric Dickerson.  I had my neck roll,  my upright running style and if they wouldn’t have given me a headache,  I would have worn the Rec Specs goggles too.

I couldn’t really name any cornerbacks back them.  I knew Leroy Irvin because he played for my favorite team,  the Los Angeles Rams.  Of course everyone knew Lester Hayes because he was one part good, one part half crazy.  Other than that,  there was no one inspiring me to stand real close to the sidelines and chase a receiver around the field for an entire game.  Runningbacks got the ball,  were able to make sweet moves and they scored touchdowns.  They get their face on TV.    Cornerbacks,  in 1986, weren’t doing that.

1986 turned to 1987 and I was now 15 years old.  I was not the biggest guy on the football field but I could run with almost anyone.  Eric Dickerson was 6’3″ 220 lbs. and it wasn’t looking like I was going to get there.  Plus running backs would get hit quite a bit.  I didn’t want to play corner but what about wide receiver?  That was the thought process until I watched this guy wearing #2 for the Florida St. Seminoles.  This guy was playing corner but was not playing it like everyone else.  I watched him swoop up on Andre Rison of the Michigan St. Spartans,  jump up over him,  catch the ball,  pop up and point to the sidelines telling Rison to get off the field.   I also watched him intercept Brett Favre from Southern Mississippi and high step like Walter Payton.  Only thing was,  Walter Payton never high stepped this long.  Who was this dude?

The Bobby Bowden show would come on locally in the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area in the 80′s and every week,  Bobby was talking about this daggum Deion Sanders.  Every week he would do something spectacular.  He would run back a punt with pizazz.  Chase down a speedy back with confidence.  Make a ridiculous interception or just put a top ranked receiver on the back of a milk carton.   Hey,  maybe playing cornerback isn’t that bad I began to think.

By 1988,  I became married to the idea of playing cornerback.   Besides,  most coaches that saw me thought that I would be good at it.  By now,  I had made my way out to California to finish my high school years.  I did bring that Florida / Prime Time swag with me and while I was still playing running back,  I was also playing corner too.   Running back was fun but I wanted to be Prime Time.  So out came the head band around the neck.  I couldn’t high step because it was a penalty but I would sneak one in every now and then.  In a game against our cross town rivals,  I broke into the open field on a kickoff return and raised the ball up over my head for the last 35 yards on my way to the end zone.  It took every ounce of will power not to high step. One of the assistant coaches met me on my way back to the sidelines. “Don’t you ever hold the ball up over your head like that again,” he screamed while circulating through different shades of red.  Being so full of Prime Time confidence,  my only thought was “he said the word ‘again” so he knows I’m going to be scoring a lot”.   It was the Prime Time talking.   From that point on every time I scored,  I touched the ball down in the back of the end zone just to give me some unique style like Neon Deon.

I took my act to college when I signed with Long Beach St.  I arrived on campus ready to play a bunch as a freshman because that’s what Deion did.  It made me work hard, play hard and guess what?  I was playing a bunch as a freshman and started a number of games.  By my second year,  Long Beach St. was not big enough for the star I thought I was.  So I wanted to transfer.  I wanted to be on T.V.,  like Prime.  I wanted to be seen.  So what did I do?  I called Florida St. University and told them I wanted to transfer.  I sent my highlight tape and everything.  I informed Hall of Famer Willie Brown who was the head coach at the time and after trying to talk me out of it,  he asked me where I wanted to go.  I told him Florida St.    The next day at practice,  Brown ordered up seven consecutive go routes by wide receivers against me.  They caught the first one and the whole team starting doing the Tomahawk chop mocking me.  The next six passes were all incomplete and one was picked off.  I proved my point and I was thrilled.

As fate would have it,  I ended up going to the University of Miami when Long Beach St. dropped football and even though I was playing for Prime Time’s arch nemesis,  I was thrilled to be a Cane.  That still did not stop me from playing with Prime’s pizazz and working hard to reach his level.  I had the opportunity to watch him practice on our University of Miami practice field when the 49ers were preparing for their Super Bowl vs. the San Diego Chargers in 1995.  I was stunned by his work ethic.  Nobody worked harder than Jerry Rice but the second hardest working guy I saw on that practice field was none other than Prime Time.  I thought it was all about his 4.21 forty but that day I learned that “success is not an accident” and “talent has it’s limits, work ethic will make you the best.”

All along the way,  wanting to be like prime time made me work hard on my skills at the cornerback position.  I can imagine that this is the case for 1,000′s of youngsters that have come behind this legendary figure in the game.  It’s only fitting that he be inducted into the Hall of Fame today as a first balloter.  He truly changed the game and continues to have an impact even after he has retired.

General deion sanders

The recent rash of NCAA violations and alleged violations at major schools like USC, Ohio St., Auburn, LSU, Oregon, etc have ramped up the talk of the need to pay college football players.  I am going to take an unpopular position on this topic and say don’t give them a dime.

It is no secret that I played major college football.  It is a lesser known fact that I also played major college football for a not so major team.  Before I played for the Miami Hurricanes,  I played for the now defunct Long Beach St. 49ers football program.  Playing for two college football programs will give anyone in that position perspective.  When you play for two programs on the opposite ends of the spectrum,  your perspective gets even greater.

One would be surprised to know that there were violations at Long Beach St. like there were violations at Miami.  There are violations on every college football campus by players on the team.  You are sitting there now thinking that it was all about survival with regards to these violations and I am here to tell you that it wasn’t.  95% of the violations were about the character and choices of the young men that made them.  Were there times on both campuses when we as players were hungry? Of course!  Guess what?  There were times before myself and the other players arrived on campus that we were hungry too.  It never led to me starving to death.  Did I want a pair of shoes I saw someone else wearing,  a pair of jeans that all the “cool” people seem to be sporting?   Was there that girl I wanted to take to the movies or the car I wanted to drive?  You bet.

You know what each and everyone of those situations did for me?  Made me want to ‘make’ some money one day.  How was I going to do that?  I was going to get my education, meet the right people and train hard to take advantage of the football opportunity in front of me.  Now,  had I reached out and taken the regular stream of payments from the “friend of the program”  or even picked up a paycheck from the university,  my motivation to achieve those goals would have been diminished to some degree.  The fact that as an athlete,  you are being afforded an opportunity to get an education that costs 100′s of 1,000′s of dollars should be enough.  Often times,  the athletes are being admitted into the school when they would not otherwise be allowed because of their athletic prowess.  Along with the costs that you are being relieved of to get that education,  the value of it also exceeds several 10′s to 100′s of thousands.  It gives you earning power. What else could you want?

How much should we pay theses athletes that are already getting so much?  $100 per week? $500 per week? $1,000 per week? What’s a good figure?  Can Miami pay more to their athletes than the Long Beach St.’s of the World?  Will $200 per week paid to an athlete make them tell the local dealer no when he offers them a car worth $1,000′s for nothing?  You really need your head examined if you think the answer to that is yes.  Offering the athletes ‘pay checks’ will only make them more money thirsty.  How many violations have you ever heard of where a guy was popped for getting a bunch of free meals at a restaurant or free food from the grocery store?  Think about that.   It’s always free cars, jewelry, expensive clothes, luxury items.   Never deodorant, underwear, shaving gel.  It’s not about needs it’s about wants.  These players want to be ‘ballers’ like they see on TV before they have done a damned thing to be one.  They want to look like the entertainment idols they see in the media.  It’s the trap of the adolescent mind and there is always the misguided adult around the program ready to feed into that beast for their own selfish purposes.

The universities are providing the athletes with a fishing rod so that they can learn how to fish and feed themselves for the rest of their lives.  Do the programs take a lot of their time trying to make them great athletes and produce a great product on the field?  Yes but it only helps the student athlete to learn how manage their time and become a success.  One day when they make it,  they will already have the tools to manage the time it takes to continue to be a success.  That is what college is teaching them.  These athletes that are hungry in their college dorm have been hungry all their life.  They should be motivated to learn what it takes to change that situation for not only themselves but for their families born and unborn.  Collecting a check from the university or NCAA will not help.  It will more than likely hurt that.

I want someone to get out there and preach to the young student athletes that taking a hand out does not set you up for life,  it makes you dependent for the rest of your life.  It puts you right back into the situation that you have been in before you got on campus.  Accept the scholarship,  accept the educational Pell Grant from the government,  manage your money,  manage your time and the rewards four or five years later will far exceed the pair of jeans, the diamond earrings, the Nike kicks or even the check the university could give you for being a guy who can run fast or jump high.

General auburn, lsu, ncaa, ohio st., oregon, paying athletes, usc

For years now,  many have been forced to ask how some Florida athletes have been leaving the state to attend football programs outside of the Sunshine State.  Some have speculated that the day has come where there is enough information is available to athletes and their families about other programs that they don’t need to attend the Big Three and sink into a depth chart.  Others have argued that the kids just want a change of scenery.  While those two things and other innocent factors may be true,  others think that there is something more sinister going on.

The NCAA has heard enough of the sinister talk to put some manpower on it.   Now ‘The Feds’ are coming.  Starting next week,  the NCAA will be sending representatives down to do some digging into the goings ons of schools like Auburn, LSU, Ohio St. and a few select others as it pertains to recruiting the Florida athlete.  The focus is on the SEC and Big 10. Talks of duffel bag pay-offs, jobs set up for parents, family, members and handlers have piqued the lawman’s curiosity.  Not withstanding,  a probe into 7-on-7 tournaments, street agents and athletic trainers will be part of the shakedown.  There’s the saying that where there’s smoke,  there’s fire and I am fairly certain that the NCAA is going to find something.  The questions is,  what are they going to do about it?

If you’ve been to “The Bottom” as Florida is affectionately known by it’s natives,  you know that money can change hands,  rules can be broken and loop holes are not something just found on an ear lobe.  With any amount of competent investigation,  the NCAA will find a few things that stink.  I have to wonder if,  with a little digging,  a peel back of the layers will find a huge problem.  We should all stay tuned.  The NCAA has been on steroids with investigations lately.  First it was the Cam Newton situation,  then it was recruiting services with the Oregon Ducks,  followed by tattoo-gate in Columbus and now it is rolling into the sweep of the state probably supplying the most talent throughout the country.  Hold on to your hat my friends,  things are going to get mighty interesting.  That friendly man in the odd baseball cap could be an agent trying to find out just what the heck you are doing.   Summer in the South is going to be a hot one.

General auburn, cam newton, jim tressel, jim tressell, lsu, ncaa investigation, ohio st., tennessee

College football teams sure are breaking the rules these days.  From one day to the next there seems to be a college football program in hot water for some rules violation.   This leaves the coach in a position where he is in front of the camera putting on his best poker face as he tries to give as much information as possible without saying anything.

The latest casualty of the situation is Ohio St.’s Jim Tressel.  Tressel arrived in Columbus over a decade ago and immediately began a plan to take the Buckeyes to the next level and he was successful.  Tressel’s plan reached it’s peak at the conclusion of the 2002 season when the Buckeyes claimed the national title after an overtime win over the Miami Hurricanes.  Some nine years later,  Tressel exits the program amidst the shame of rules violations and the lies that followed them.

Tressel was just another college football coach sweating it out after being tapped on the shoulder by the NCAA.  Last year’s two national championship game participants,  Auburn and Oregon have dealt with and continue to deal with NCAA probes into their practices.  A casual observer of college football would be left to the conclusion that you don’t raise the trophy without breaking some NCAA rules.  It seems that along with the raising of the well weighted Sears trophy each season,  the victorious program should expect a letter from the NCAA about some violations before the beginning of spring practice for the next season.   It’s a troubling trend but who’s to blame?

We could say that it’s the blood thirsty media in our country that sells publications and air time by putting out disparaging stories on those who are revered by most.  Our culture has made a sport out of building up people and companies only to tear them down when they stick their flag in the ground at the top of the mountain.  So it continues.  The 20 or so teams that have a shot at all at the 2011 title should be preparing themselves for what comes after they achieve the ultimate.   While the players are lifting weights,  team counsel should be pouring through the NCAA rule books and checking out loopholes.   Winning the the title is just beginning,  the real circus starts after that.   Don’t be surprised one year if you see the Sears Trophy filled inside with business cards from attorneys because undoubtedly,  the holder of the prize will certainly be in some kind of trouble.

General auburn tigers, jim tressel, ohio st., oregon ducks

Gridironstuds.com members continue to get attention across the nation.  It all started with Jeff Luc back in 2009,  moved onto guys like Chandler Kincade and now another Gridironstuds.com young phenom is receiving big time attention.  8th Grade quarterback Brian Sutter has been turning heads with his performances on the field and is poised to make a splash when he enters the halls of McKinney High School in Texas.  Sutter’s smooth delivery,  advanced skills and production has people taking notice and was recently featured in an article in the Town Square Buzz a local paper in McKinney, Texas.  Check out the article by clicking here and check out Brian’s highlight video and Gridironstuds.com profile by clicking here.

General brian sutter

Here is repost of Palm Beach Post article written by Jorge Milian on Gridironstuds.com onwer Chad Wilson

Sixteen years later, ex-UM football player Chad Wilson earns his degree

by Jorge Milian

Among the 49 current and former UM athletes going through graduation ceremonies last week was Chad Wilson.

Nothing odd about that except that Wilson received his bachelor’s degree in business management a few days shy of turning 39.

Chad Wilson during his playing days at UM.

“Nothing like being dressed up in your cap and gown with gray hair sitting next to some 22-year-old,” said Wilson, a cornerback from 1992-94 under the Dennis Erickson-coached Hurricanes.

Before returning to school last year, Wilson last attended a class at UM in 1995. Since then, Wilson had started a family, opened a small business and gotten into coaching.

“I already had a very busy schedule,” Wilson said. “I have three kids, I’m a dad and I’m a husband, I have a business and I’m also a football coach. It was very difficult for me to juggle those things. Adding school to it was extra difficult. It was a tremendous sacrifice.”

But Wilson thought it was well worth it because of the children – step-daughter Damianis Eusebio, 17, and sons Quincy, 14, and Marco, 12 – he shares with his wife, Carmen.

“I’m stressing education to them,” Wilson said. “I wanted to be able to say to them, ‘Hey look, I have my degree. Now you guys get to where I am and go beyond.’”

Wilson thought of returning to school to complete his degree – he was 18 credits short –five years ago. But he thought better of it after learning that each credit at UM would cost him $1,100.

“I was already getting by without the degree so laying out $20,000 wasn’t the best idea,” Wilson said.

But a former Hurricanes’ teammate, Gerard Daphnis, told Wilson about a UM program in which the school’s athletic department picks up tuition if a former athlete is close to obtaining a degree.

Wilson jumped at the chance and began classes last summer.

The first day in class Wilson starkly realized the age gap between he and his fellow students. The professor displayed a picture of an Atari video computer system, which had the computer entertainment market cornered in the 1970s and early ‘80s.

“He said, ‘I know none of you are old enough to remember what this is,’” Wilson recalled. “I raised my hand up and was like, ‘Not everybody.’”

Wilson is one of the sharpest young men I’ve met in my 17 years on the UM beat so I can assure you his falling short of a degree during his playing days wasn’t about smarts or effort. Instead, Wilson was a victim of circumstances.

Wilson, who grew up in Pembroke Pines before moving to California in high school, played his two seasons of college football at Long Beach State. When Wilson transferred following his freshman season, UM declined to accept 30 credits he earned at Long Beach. Later, Wilson lost 18 more credits when he switched majors.

“I was sitting there with 120 credits, more than enough to graduate,” said Wilson, who started 13 games in two seasons for UM and was a second-team All-Big East selection in 1994. “But I hadn’t completed all the required courses in business. I had all these classes, all these credits. It would have been silly for me not to finish.”

Not that it was easy. To graduate, Wilson had to pass a mind-bending statistics course. He took the prerequisite 15 years ago.

Being an old head, Wilson didn’t panic. In fact, he served as something of a mentor to his classmates, many who were nearly young enough to be his children.

“It felt good to offer to advice to kids who are going where I’ve already been,” Wilson said.

Wilson has plenty of experience in working with young people. He’s been the defensive coordinator at University School in Davie for four seasons. Last year, University School reached the state 2B championship game before losing 56-55 in triple overtime.

Wilson also is the owner of Gridironstuds.com, a website that allows youth and high school football players to create a profile and add highlight videos that can be viewed by college recruiters.

So Wilson wears a lot of hats. Husband. Dad. Coach. Business owner. And now, college graduate.

“I had to finish what I started,” Wilson said.

General Chad Wilson, Miami Hurricanes