Friday December 12, 2008

Friday E-Mail Bag

Friday E-Mail Bag
Each Friday I publish your comments and answer your questions. To submit a comment or questions please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com.

Hi Mickey,

Kirk

Kirk,
Both John Chavis and Kevin Steele are two highly thought of guys and have been for a long time. They are good friends and have been for a long time. I would be surprised if Steele is a factor because Chavis is involved. That shows you how close they are.

Ryan is improving all of the time. His recovery has been remarkable. He is excited about C.C. Sabathia coming to the Yankees but he is even more excited about our trip to the bowl game. We are headed to Jacksonville on the 30th and a very happy 17-year old will be in the passenger seat.

Mickey,
I do not understand the argument for the SEC teams being so much better than the ACC teams any longer…given the SEC does have two legitimate “powerhouse” teams that could beat anyone on any given day, but beyond those two teams, Alabama and Florida, the talent level drops off. The ACC does not have that top 10 team this year to compete with those two teams, but beyond that, the ACC teams were very well matched with the SEC, and won a good portion of their head to head match up’s. The argument you always hear is that from top to bottom, the SEC is tougher than the ACC…that is not a totally true statement this year…the SEC is just tougher at the “top” of their conference definitely. LSU, Georgia, Ole Miss, and South Carolina are middle of the pack SEC teams this year, if you compare those SEC teams to ACC mid-level teams, like GT, Wake, Maryland, Florida State, and Clemson, the games would be very competitive, and the ACC would. In the last 10 years the SEC is ahead of the ACC by approx. 10 wins, somewhere in the range of 45 to 35 wins I believe. I wouldn’t call a 10 win difference such a big stretch…that means that the SEC wins approx 56% of the games, while the ACC is at 44%. What are your thoughts on this? What ACC team(s) do you think have the chance to make a push to become a top 10 type program and how soon?
DT

DT,
This was a terrible year for the SEC outside of those two powerhouses. When LSU, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee have bad years, the SEC will struggle. I think LSU will be back soon. Arkansas will improve under Petrino. I have concerns about Tennessee and don’t know about Auburn until I see their complete staff.

Florida State and Miami have the highest upsides in the ACC. Virginia Tech, Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina have top 25 potential each year but it is harder for each to get in the top 10 and stay there consistently. I don’t see any ACC program on the verge of building a top 10 program anytime soon.

Hi Mickey.
Enjoy the work you do on the blog. I have a recruiting question for you. The QB position worries me for next year and I do not see any recruiting being done on that position. Do you know if we plan to take a QB? True, we will have 4 QBs on the roster for next year: Willy Korn, Kyle Parker, Michael Wade, and Jon Richt but Willy has had shoulder surgery, Kyle has a future in baseball, Michael wasn't good enough to crack the top three over the past years and moved to defense, and I don't hear anything about Jon being a capable backup. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Brett

Brett,
Thanks for the kind words. The staff tried to recruit Ryan Mossakowski and Morgan Newton but both committed to Kentucky. I don’t see any quarterback being offered in this class from here on out. Therefore they will sign two quarterbacks in the next class. The hope is that Korn will return from surgery stronger than ever. Parker has excited the staff with his arm strength and his leadership. I think both will engage in a crucial battle for the starting job in the spring and don’t forget Korn will be a sophomore and Parker will be a red-shirt freshman. I have not checked on Jon Richt in a while but will try to ask about him this weekend. I was disappointed in Harper’s performance this season and expect better quarterback play in 2009.

Hi Mickey,

Best,
Kirk

Kirk,
I respect our military and understand your points. However, I personally don’t think this is an issue. We have so much invested in our terms to describe sports by using military terms. Bombs describe passes. Ariel assaults describe passing games. Ground attacks are linked to rushing games. Teams are said to participate in battles. Forever we say a team killed the opponent. When I was the term warrior I can see the military implications but I also can say some one fighting cancer is a warrior without disrespecting war or cancer survivors. I get your point but don’t agree that it is an issue.

Mickey
Would you update us on any FB recruiting news? What players if any are you hearing we may have a chance with? I would have thought the state championships being played in Clemson might have helped with in state guys.
David

David,
The staff is set to bring in five for official visits this weekend. Offensive lineman J.K. Jay (6-7, 280) of Greenville, SC is coming in and has been committed for some time. One of the nation’s top wide receivers, Bryce McNeal (6-2, 170) of Minneapolis, MN will also be in town. He is a former Michigan commitment who has already been on official visits to Oklahoma, Oregon, Minnesota and Colorado. The staff will also welcome three of the nation’s top prep school prospects. The Hargrave Military trio of Jonathan Meeks, Onterrio McCalleb and Leon Mackey will be visiting. Meeks (6-2, 185) has also been to NC State and North Carolina. The safety might be the best bet to commit of the four uncommitted prospects. McCalleb (6-0, 175) is an Auburn commitment but the running back is still looking around. Mackey (6-6, 260) is a defensive lineman that has already visited Arkansas and NC State and is scheduled to visit Virginia Tech next weekend.

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