4th and 1: Florida’s Arrests, a USF Commitment, A.J. Green…
A little college football to get you through your Friday.
1st. Urban Meyer claims Florida is not a dirty program. Technically, he’s correct. The Gators aren’t a dirty program. Dirty programs violate NCAA rules – you know, like giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to a star player. Florida’s problem is different. Not the actions of the program itself, but the actions of certain players. Arrests.
There have now been 30 arrests since Meyer took over as the head coach of the Gators. That averages out to about six a season being that were still early in his sixth year. There’s no acceptable amount, but that many is too much. Some are very much on the minor side and many end up with the charges dropped, but they add up and ultimately they include some of the bigger stories. Chris Rainey and Ronnie Wilson among those.
Look at it this way: Meyer has coached 185 players during his time with the Gators. 27 different players were among those 30 arrests. That means nearly 15% of the players Meyer has coached have faced charges. I’ll wait a minute for you to bang your head repeatedly against the wall. Done?
It’s hard to say what can be done to solve the issue, but it needs to be a combination of things. Can Meyer and staff crack down and lengthen suspensions were necessary? Yes. Do the players need to be held accountable for their actions? Definitely. Does something need to change one way or another? YES!
2nd. USF is doing what it can to address the loss of almost all depth at the tight end/fullback position at the end of this season. The Bulls received a verbal commitment from Griffin (Griffin, GA) tight end Tye Turner this week. Turner selected USF over Western Carolina and Western Kentucky. He also had interest from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest.
The 6’2”, 245-pound tight end has also played fullback during his high school career. He hopes to be used more in the passing game as a senior this season.
3rd. Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green will attempt to have his suspension reduced today. The NCAA will hear an appeal requesting that Green be reinstated and be able to play this Saturday against Arkansas. Green was given a four-game suspension after…GASP!…selling a jersey.
After dropping their conference opener to South Carolina, the Bulldogs desperately need a win against the Razorbacks. Falling to 0-2 in SEC play could prove disastrous. Having Green on the field gives the Bulldogs a much better chance of that not happening. And it gives Aaron Murray a reliable receiver he can count on during key situations.
4th. Russell Wilson likes the number three. 333 passing yards and 33 rushing to go along with three touchdowns in NC State’s win over Cincinnati on Thursday night. Wilson started the season with a little rust as a result of playing too much of that other sport we all stopped following a few weeks ago. Rust no more. Look out ACC, Wilson is oh so very good. And delightful to watch as well.
And 1. Did you know Jeff Demps almost ended up at Tennessee? Now you do. Demps was seriously considering the Vols before David Cutcliffe left for Duke. If he had headed to Tennessee we can all assume frustration over playing for a third head coach this season would have set in. Luckily we only have to imagine Demps in Vol orange, we don’t have to actually experience it.