SATURDAY

CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT

I am reposting this from Friday for those that did not read the UPDATE.

I thought I would take a different approach to all the negativity that is surrounding the Big 12 Conference. If you are listening to radio call-in shows or the Paul Finebaum TV program, you know the world is ending for Iowa State, Kansas, KSU, Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU, West Virginia, and Okie State. My initiative is to try to point out that conference realignment is as old as the Bible. There have been some bad moves that backfired for programs, and there have been some moves that separated some programs. I know McNeese has missed at least three opportunities in the past 50 years to move but elected to stay. I have no idea what to suggest to McNeese other than set up a plan, leave the Southland Conference for two or three years and play an independent schedule in football. Set out a goal to the people of SW Louisiana in the terms of fundraising to see if the support is there. I think we all agree it would take a few million bucks to get the ball rolling.

But one thing I have learned is I have no control over what their decisions will be. I do know that people within an organization have to be proactive and progressive or get left behind. It does no good in rehashing mistakes made by previous administrations; the future is all we have to look forward to. My point today is to bring hope that the sky is not falling, and we have been through this before. The key is to learn from mistakes and to have a different attitude. Maybe my coaching background is coming out in me, but there have been tons of jobs in this profession that are labeled unattainable solutions. It feels that way right now in Monroe, but Lord knows I would never have believed that you could win anything in Thibodaux. There have been doormats for as many years as you want to count including hapless Baylor, TCU, SMU, Kansas State, and too many to mention.

We tend to forget history and think current alignments have always been around. Radio talking heads continue to repeat that we have never had conferences with more than 12 teams. Let me remind you that in the 1920’s and 1930’s the Southern Conference had between 17 and 23 teams. Without listing all the programs, it was basically what we know as the ACC and SEC with other folks like Tulane and Georgia Tech. As late as 1952, the Southern had 17 teams . Of course, today it is made up of FCS programs. They too have undergone serious changes each and every five years. In 2014 they lost Appy State, Elon, Georgia Southern, Davidson, and UNC-Charlotte.

The Athletic wrote a great article on how conferences have changed over the years and how several made very poor decisions. They have played with conferences between the Mississippi River and the West Coast for years and most of the mid-majors have failed. I am talking Big West, Mountain West, WAC, and others that have disbanded. The WAC which everyone is enamored with since the SLC lost five programs has run the gambit of change. This league has changed so much that I doubt many readers could list the 33 schools that have been members since 1978. I will spare you that, but you may have heard of Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Boise State, TCU, UNLV, San Diego State, as well as even Louisiana Tech.

The article in The Atlantic discussed some of the failed attempts, but mentioned how the Sun Belt was down to the final out and got saved by FCS programs. At one point, the Sun Belt had Denver, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, New Mexico State, UNT, LaTech, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Idaho, Utah State, UNC-Charlotte, UNO, and Lamar to name a few. The writer discussed the loss of revenue on travel and the lack of natural rivalries almost killed the league. I easily remember the mid 2014-2015 Era when the Belt discussed adding five FCS programs. The RaginCajun Board exploded with comments, “We are going backwards; we are much better than these “D2″ schools and we should leave this failing conference.” This writer pointed out that as negative as many Sun Belt media members were, Appy State(Southern), Georgia Southern(Southern), Coastal Carolina(Colonial), and Georgia State(Colonial) saved the Sun Belt. You could add Texas State, ULM, UTA, and Troy who all joined from 2006 to 2013, but they did not add the tradition and attitude that the four former FCS programs added. Their TV ratings went up due to the popularity of GSU, Appy State, and the markets of the East Coast including Atlanta and Charlotte, NC.

I have not read any more jokes about Appy State, Georgia Southern, and Coastal in the past six years. Since the start of Sun Belt Football Championships in 2000, Arkansas State(former SLC member) has six titles, Troy (former SLC member) has six titles, Appy State has four titles in less than eight years, UNT(former SLC member) has four titles, and Georgia Southern has one championship. ULL has not won an outright conference title nor has former SLC member ULM. Coastal Carolina also has a championship.

The point of the article was to praise the Sun Belt for making adjustments and surviving the bad days even when they did it on the backs of former FCS members. There are tons of former D2 programs that are now in the FCS and many have done quite well including North Dakota State. It is a constant realignment as history cannot stay the same. People with short memories do not remember that the Sun Belt has had 14 defections in the 2000’s and continue to roll on. Denver, FIU, FAU, LTU, Lamar, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico, Idaho, UNO, UNT, Pan American, West Kentucky, Utah State, etc. I remember the comments that the sky was falling when the Belt lost WKU and Middle Tennessee State. Some would argue that they are not really better off today.

In total the Southland Conference has supplied the Sun Belt with ULL, Arkansas State, UNT, Texas State, Lamar, ULM, UTA, and Troy. As much as Cajun fans have made fun of FCS programs, they have been partners to 17 former FCS programs while being in the Sun Belt. The key is who has the vision to predict who the next program will be to climb the ladder? Personally, I think that West Florida, Tarleton State, and ACU will be in the largest classification within the next 6-10 years. Whatever that classification is I have no idea. It is pretty obvious that we are headed to a Super League of 64 programs and then there will be a Tier 2 of anywhere from 48-64 teams with a playoff system. Just as the stock market proves everyday, there will be adjustments.

So the final comments refer to the opening paragraph. I don’t have the answers, but I believe in setting goals. Take three years off from the SLC football and campaign for high goals. Use the time to schedule as many as three or four “pay for play” games and collect some money. McNeese generally meets the goals they set out to accomplish.

I spoke with someone on Friday and told them I don’t think Texas is wanting to jump real soon into the SEC schedule. They want to use this announcement to sell soph and junior recruits than they will be in the SEC within three years. This will allow Sark to recruit better and be better prepared for the jump in 2023-2024. Announcements send a message to recruits. All of a sudden a 5-star soph in Allen thinks he does not have to go to LSU or Alabama to play in the SEC. He will be three hours from Norman, four hours from Fayetteville, four hours to Austin, three hours to College Station, and seven hours to Baton Rouge and Columbia , Missouri. That message has been sent!

McNeese Soccer 100 Donors Campaign

$10,900 Raised109% of $10,000 goal 13DAYS16HRS01MINS42SECS Donate

McNeese Baseball/Softball Campaign Goal $65,000 Raised $66,500 and rising.

UPDATE: NOON

The sports staff at the DallasNews held a mock draft this morning to attempt to have a fair even four 16-team Super Conferences for future playoffs. Which division do you think is the strongest? Regardless of what you think, it is a picture of who might get left out and having to form a new divisional playoff system.

FRIDAY

IS THE SWAC CLOSING THE DOORS TO FOOTBALL STADIUMS?

There is discussion at the roundtable of SWAC administrators about closing the doors to football games this fall. This is only discussion, not a fact just yet. However, let’s just say that the McNeese at Southern game in week three may be closed to fans and tailgating, or at least a restricted crowd with face mask. It is too early to panic, but I will keep checking to see if the administrators make a decision.

MCNEESE CARAVAN

Fans gathered at the Southwest Beverage Sales last night to listen to a preview to the various teams practicing this fall. Coach Wilson was under the weather, but his recruiting assistant took to the podium to discuss the 2021 season. I was not there, but relaying messages sent to me. Coach Kennedy spoke on women’s basketball and an assistant basketball coach from the men’s program gave an update on the team’s off-season work. Heath Schroyer discussed some exciting news in the future, but said we had to wait until the announcement next week. It is not about conference realignment, but on fundraising.

SEC VOTES 14-0 FOR TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA

It was predicted that all fourteen university administrators would vote unanimously to accept OU and Texas. We all know how politics work and how it is important to show solidarity on matters. It is a done deal and I expect fines to be paid and wiggle room found to allow these two programs to move sooner than later. It will not be 2025 before we see these teams on the SEC schedule. There are so many positives to the addition that you must think outside of football. Texas will enter next spring #1 in baseball and Oklahoma will probably be #1 in softball. Track is going to be super competitive.

I do think pods is the way they will have to go because ESPN/DISNEY is calling the shots and writing the checks. They are not going to allow divisions that take away their primetime rating’s winners. In other words, they might force a pod of LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas in order to guarantee Bama vs LSU and Auburn vs Bama every year. They are certainly going to want UGA vs Florida every year, and Texas vs OU and Texas vs A&M so you can expect those three in some type of pod. Whoever is doing the scheduling has their work cut out for them to be fair and balanced, but it is not going to be easy. Just remember this super conference is being setup for TV revenues and blockbuster ratings.

I feel for Baylor vs Iowa State having to play at 11A.M. on Fox, or 2 P.M. opposite the CBS SEC primetime game, but their value just took a big hit. The discussion from the Pac 12 in adding Baylor, SMU, or TCU is practically over before it started. One Pac 12 representative said no “church school” could get enough votes in our conference. Look for some combination of the AAC and the Big 12 to merge.

COACHING JOBS AVAILABLE IN TEXAS

Are you a young coach just out of college and looking for a job? I know where you can find one if you are certified and can teach something other than PE or Social Studies.

On July 22, Dallas ISD posted a list of its coaching vacancies on Twitter. There were 121 openings on the list for high school and middle school combined. Several schools have as many as 3-5 openings including powerhouse DeSoto High School who needs three immediately.

Dallas ISD high schools start school in less than a month, on Aug. 16.

There have been 221 varsity football teams in Texas that have changed head coaches since the end of last season, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, and many new head coaches bring a new coaching staff with them. In the Dallas area, there have been at least 31 head coaching changes, according to information compiled by The Dallas Morning News.

But Dallas ISD’s numbers are part of a much wider problem that goes beyond coaching turnover.

“There is a shortage [of coaches] across the state of Texas,” Kimball football coach Henry Cofer said.

The Texas High School Coaches Association doesn’t keep data on the number of coaching openings statewide, but THSCA president-elect Lee Wiginton from Midlothian Heritage backed up Cofer’s statement.

Carrollton Newman Smith football coach Robert Boone described a scene from the Texas High School Coaches Association’s annual coaching school and convention in July that had a record attendance of 14,153. Big boards listed the coaching openings across the state, but those looking to hire had few candidates to choose from.

“On one side of the board there had to have been like hundreds of openings,” Boone said. “On the flip side of those boards were supposed to be résumés for people that were looking. There were six résumés.”

Coaches attribute the shortage to the toll that COVID-19 has taken, combined with the long hours that coaches devote to the job, yet the number of teachers statewide has risen by more than 45,000 over the last nine years and now exceeds 370,000. My take is it is more than COVID-19. Teaching today in many schools is very hard work and full of pressure to meet standards. Add coaching from 3 P.M. to 7 P.M. nightly and overtime on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays and it is hard on a family with children.

Another big problem is “staying power” and fighting through hard times. Every job takes time to get experience and will have periods of depression. The tough survive and others crumble. It is reported that the dropout rate is near 50% in the first two years. Former MSU beat writer David Berry was teaching journalism at DeSoto and wanted to get into coaching. I wonder why he left to go to Houston to take a coaching job?

Another factor is that many of the inner-city schools are the ones lacking applications. As more and more minority students move out of the inner-city, diverse coaching staffs are needed in the suburbs. Well paid jobs with better facilities and less discipline problems are attractive, but it hurts filling those needs in depressed areas that need minority mentors the most. If interested, you can expect to make $55,000 to $65,000 as a high school assistant in programs above 4A.

THURSDAY

NLI NOW RAIDING HIGH SCHOOLS

I have to admit I am treading in deep water here with my comments, so I will do my best to be vague. The sports world is changing so quickly that it is making my head spin, and I am not so sure I am ready for the “merry go round.” It started with the transfer portal, then the conference realignment rumors, NLI, and now the Olympics. NBC announced that their ratings for the Opening Ceremony were down 49%. There are tons of excuses being made such as time difference, Covid, and American Nationalism. Regardless of your opinion on any subject, there will be 50% disagreeing with you. We had a huge article in a national publication that said that one of the nation’s top writers could not watch the Olympics because he will not watch anything that has an American flag represented.

I don’t want to get into all the reasoning, but the bottom line is this is the lowest national pride has ever been. We have so many people pulling against the USA and individuals based on political views. Greg Popovich has alienated half the population with his daily hammering of political views which as a fan I don’t want to hear from either side. Louisiana residents are probably not aware of what Texans have had to deal with, but it has put him in a love/hate relationship in Texas. Thus, many fans loved it when our USA team was beaten by France. The French were quoted as saying “The USA has better players, but they do not play team ball.”

Unfortunately, this attitude appears to have incorporated several team sports as well as individuals. How many times have I seen “me first, or I” in the sports page the past few days? I think most fans just want to watch some competitions without all the endorsements of not only product, but social issues. Unfortunately, I saw tons of comments loving the fact the USA women’s soccer team was beaten due to players speaking out and kneeling. We are long past having 35 million tune in to a rebroadcast of a Sunday morning hockey game between the USA and Russia. That was 1980 and even a 2010 USA vs Canada match drew 25 million. Go back and look at the USA basketball with guys like Bird and Magic and see the ratings.

There were not that many hockey fans in the USA in 1980 to draw 35 million viewers; it was all about national pride. If we were playing checkers against Russia for the gold, I would have watched. How many times have I seen American track stars fall on the track and pick themselves up and finish the mile or 5,000 because they said they could not quit in an Olympic setting representing their country?

As I type this morning I am reading about US athletes going home due to Covid. They have trained their whole lives for this one opportunity, and they did not get vaccinated? It was up to the individual which I support, but I hate to see our pole vaulter who won the World title last year be eliminated due to Covid. There have been up to 20 athletes who are out and yesterday was the highest total yet. But that is not for me to judge; let’s just play with what we have left. Others may feel too much pressure and may pull themselves out of the competition as well.

So all of this stuff is weighing on my mind, and then I see where the NLI is starting to affect high school sports. ESPN has invested money in opening the high school season with a DFW special from ATT Stadium featuring Highland Park against Southlake Carroll and their #1 national recruit. But wait, the QB has decided to pass up his senior year to go make a million dollars at Ohio State hocking his image. If this is the route we are headed, the last amateur competition I love will disappear. Forget loyalty to teammates, coaches, and the town, this is all about me. My family is wealthy and does not need the money. The dad admitted on local TV and said it is the principal of the thing. I am getting a fully paid scholarship to a Big 10 school beginning in January, so is it too much to ask to hang around for four more months and give hope to my teammates? I guess so.

Southlake Carroll five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers said Wednesday that he is considering forgoing his senior year of high school football and enrolling a year early at Ohio State so he can begin profiting off of his Name, Image and Likeness.

Ewers confirmed a report from Yahoo Sports but did not reply to additional calls or text messages seeking comment. Southlake Carroll coach Riley Dodge did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Ewers, who led Southlake Carroll to a state runner-up finish in Class 6A Division I last season, is expected to make a decision this week, according to the report. He is the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports, and he is one of the top-rated recruits in national history.

For the first time, college athletes can profit off their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). But the University Interscholastic League, the governing body of public schools in Texas, and other leagues guided by the National Federation of State High School Associations aren’t allowing that.

MCNEESE WELCOMES TWO MORE NEWCOMMERS

MAJOR LEAGUE TRADING DEADLINE IS FRIDAY

Several clubs made trades the last 24 hours in order to load up for the final two months of the season. The Astros, Tampa, New York, and San Diego are all giving up younger players to get help now. On the other hand, the Rangers traded Joey Gallo for four NY Yankee prospects. I understand the deal, but if you have followed their trades the past ten years, you know that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Prospects are like freshman college recruits. They are highly touted and fans get excited about them; however, I would give you four freshmen prospects for a junior All-American “difference maker” every time. What would Joe Burrow have been worth to LSU? So once again the Rangers will load up talent in Frisco , Hickory, NC, and Down East, NC while the major league team suffers. My wife and I debate food options all the time. She accuses me of preferring quantity over quality. She is usually right, and in this case, the Rangers got a bunch of “Golden Corral” players who are not great prospects. The Yankees kept their Top 12 prospects.

It reminds me of what a few college football coaches discussed at their media day. Players who were not playing that jumped into the transfer portal are not going to be missed. The Arkansas coach said he hopes to replace those scholarships with guys who can help the team.

WEDNESDAY

FRANK WILSON SUMMER CAMP #2

It appears from posts from high school players that the final Frank Wilson Camp in Cowboy Stadium was a big success. The “Last Chance” Camp was the final camp of the summer for most and gave the coaching staff one last look at some players that may not have attended the larger camp back in June. This photo is Coach Will Thomas posing with two campers who may have their sights set on considering McNeese next December.

The most satisfying news from the camp was that Aeneaus Lemay of West Feliciana High School was at the camp and posted that he was reaffirming his commitment to Frank Wilson/Blaine Gautier. Lemay is a 3-star WR that has been clocked at 4.4 in the forty and has not missed much work in the weight room. He committed earlier in the summer, but early commitments are not always final.

If you remember my posting of Spring,Texas defensive lineman Gerrod Henderson, you will also remember my final words. I watched video of Henderson and said this guy is good, no really good, and it would be a steal to sneak him out of the Houston area. However, this was the spring, and I knew that summer camps would be huge in 2021 due to the 15 months on inactivity due to Covid. However, Gerrod posted photos of McNeese football and told the world that nothing could change his mind. He was 99% sold he would be at McNeese in 2022.

Then in June, I posted comments that I was worried that this commitment would not last. Henderson had been to Baylor, ULL, Houston, Tulane, SMU, and TCU among others and had been offered everywhere he showed his talent. The 6’2 260 lb tackle has no stars, but you can bet he will end up with at least three. He decommitted to McNeese in mid-July.

Elijah Winters committed back in May to McNeese, but he is having a fantastic summer on the baseball field which is drawing some great interest. Winters ran a 6.5 sixty over the summer which is humping it. I am assuming that Winters is going to try to play both football and baseball at McNeese. He has football offers from South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Lance Guidry is recruiting him for Marshall. I am posting this today because on Monday he reaffirmed his commitment to McNeese. Could this be the next Jace Peterson?

The last week in June Winters was named offensive player of the week for the Elite Squad Gulf South.

Elijah Winters – .600 AVG, .688 OBP, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 7 SB

SEC VS BIG 12 NEWS

I am tired of discussing it, and I am sure you are tired of reading about it. All I am going to say is that Scooter Hobbs has a good article in today’s LCAP that reviews what I spoke of yesterday. The decision of Texas recruitment was done in darkness and a shock to other SEC members. That is what I have been hearing in North Texas and Mr. Hobbs reaffirmed what I have been saying. I may have failed to mention that I think the vote will be 14-0 to allow OU and Texas in the SEC, but knowing this is all about political pressure and presenting a certain image. Our athletic administrators have learned well from Washington, DC , Baton Rouge, and Austin.

TUESDAY

The fallout from the OU and Texas announcement on Monday continues in Big 12 Country. The folks that support Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and TCU are livid as well as crushed. Several polls taken unofficially on various radio call -in shows blame Texas mostly, but think the SEC pulled a fast one on Texas A&M. I watched the videos of the announcement at SEC Media Day, and every Aggie there laughed it off as not going to happen. Even Jimbo Fisher was taken back by the questioning of Paul Finebaum.

As I have repeated, not all of what you read and hear is how programs truly feel. In this era of news, you have to be politically correct or face the wrath of the media or fandom. I am hearing that the Aggies administration is livid over not being told that Texas was being courted for the past few weeks. They feel betrayed by the SEC and Commissioner Sankey. It is becoming apparent that OU and Texas have discussed this for years, and OU has told Texas that they want to be included when and if the time comes that a decision is made.

However, after the AD at Texas A&M sounded off last Friday on his displeasure and that he would fight UT over this ruling, he backtracked those statements on Monday. Politics are in full bloom in Texas. A political correspondent said there will be consequences to Greg Abbott’s bid to remain governor in 2022. If Baylor, Texas Tech, and TCU alums jump ship and vote against Abbott we will have a new governor. I don’t get it, but that is the word in the media. The same political fallout could happen in Oklahoma. It sounds crazy, but we are living in a crazy world where restaurants are boycotted for donating to certain causes and employees fired for giving an opinion.

There are tons of rumors of what will happen to the remaining 8 programs of the Big 12. Some suggest that a merger with the American Athletic is in the works, but it will not be that simple. Kansas and KSU may look north to see if the Big 10 would accept them. Experts at the Big 10 say that they are not interested in adding anyone from the SEC or Big 12 due to their inferior academic record. The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), formerly the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), is the academic consortium of the universities in the Big Ten Conference. To be admitted the college presidents require the members to be accredited in a very restrictive group of universities. Only Illinois does not meet the criteria.

In the SEC, only Florida is a member of this elite research group. I do not think any of the remaining eight programs in the Big 12 are in this select group including Kansas. It was pointed out that the reason Michigan did not play Ohio State and others is that the president is a medical doctor with an emphasis on virus research. Michigan’s academic endowment is in the billions and does not need football. One Big 10 scribe said that if Jim Harbaugh was in the SEC, he would have been fired three years ago. Losing a couple hundred million by not allowing fans was not important to the Michigan administration. Bottom line: I don’t think the Big 10 will be expanding.

TCU has produced seven top-10 teams under coach Gary Patterson. Oklahoma State has finished in the Top 25 nine times under Mike Gundy. Iowa State is coming off a New Year’s Six bowl win and a top-10 finish. Baylor just won the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball. Big 12 baseball teams from Texas, Texas Tech, and Baylor have excelled. Tech and Texas have recently been in the College World Series. Texas is pre-season #1 for 2022 according to Baseball America.

But conference realignment is only marginally tied to on-field performance. Television value — nearly all of which comes from football — is the overwhelming factor when leagues consider adding new schools. Of the top 20 viewed TV games, all 20 include Texas or OU. The most watched game in 2018 or 2019 was LSU vs Texas which drew 8.3 million viewers.

Average TV audience, 2018-2019

TEAM	AVG. TV AUDIENCE	GAMES
Oklahoma	3.76 million	22
Texas	3.2 million	18
Others	886,000	59

TRANSFER PORTAL

Several coaches were asked at SEC Media Day about accepting former players back who have not been offered scholarships. The most blunt answer came from Sam Pittman of Arkansas. Over 50% of the portal players are without scholarships as we enter two weeks before the start of the season. Pittman had over 15 guys in the portal. Pittman compared it to a wife cheating on her husband. He said once the trust is broken, it is hard to accept them back after they find out the grass is not as green down the street as they thought. Pittman said that his athletes had a scholarship in hand, but they wanted better so they went fishing. Not many Hogs improved their status.

LSU BASEBALL

This is old news, but to emphasize what a huge catch that Arizona transfer Jacob Berry is, the newest 2022 draft board came out. Berry is listed at #3 prospect in the nation. How many times do you get a transfer with that kind of talent?

Freshman Jacob Berry, who set numerous school records in his lone season at the UA, is following former Arizona head coach Jay Johnson to LSU.

A third baseman/designated hitter, Berry hit .352 with a team-high 17 home runs and 70 RBI in helping the the Wildcats reach the College World Series for the second time in six years. Named a Freshman All-American, Berry set UA freshman records in RBI (70), hits (87), extra-base hits (41) and total bases (167).

He was one of the first UA players to enter the portal in the wake of Johnson’s sudden departure to LSU. All told, the Wildcats had 19 players enter the portal, including 12 that were part of the team’s 27-man CWS roster.

MONDAY

SAY BYE TO OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS

It may cost OU and Texas upwards of $100 million dollars to leave prior to 2025, but they are willing to do it as soon as possible. Expect news sometime early this week. Jeff Swartz summed it up pretty well.

This isn’t about the greater good of college football. It’s about the greater good of one conference and the blind and endless pursuit for the greatest power and wealth. These are independent contractors attempting to put together the best deals and programming to fill their own pockets.

If this was boxing, the SEC would be Don King.

Some SEC officials and fans may believe the conference will be so deep and strong with marquee programs that six or seven teams would make it into a 12-team Playoff field. Think again. Teams will beat each other up. There will be more losses on more resumes. Oklahoma drops almost everybody down a notch or at worst comes in at a similar elevation as Alabama and Georgia.

There’s no question Texas and Oklahoma would lead to more television revenue for the SEC and affirm the conference’s seat on the highest mountain. But this is no more about the greater good than it was when school presidents and athletic directors spewed empty talking points about their academic mission while at the same time approving 12-game schedules, 9 p.m. kickoffs and expanded postseasons.

This is about one conference’s objective to crush other conferences, and other conferences will follow accordingly. Because sometimes it’s difficult to see the big picture when the primary focus is on wealth and power and, like Gekko, the conferences actually start to believe they’re not destroyers.

As Mel Brooks repeated often in History of the World Part 1,” It is good to be the King!”

JENNINGS TOMORROW NIGHT

6 P.M. TO 8 P.M. GATOR CHATEAU

SWAC UNUSUAL PRESEASON POLL

Why is it unusual? I have never seen the team(Pine Bluff) with the most All-Conference players (10) be voted 5th in a conference. Southern had 9 All-Conference players including six on first team offense. Jason Rollins thinks this will be the best OL Southern has ever had and the conference believes him. All five starters made All-Conference. Rollins believes his offense will be historical this fall. Will this be a matchup of Southern’s offense against McNeese’s defense? You can count on it!

Check out Grambling having only one player mentioned.

Predicted Order of Finish

SWAC Eastern Division
Alabama A&M (122)
Florida A&M (109)
Jackson State (80)
Alabama State (76)
Bethune-Cookman (71)
Mississippi Valley State (25)
 
SWAC Western Division
Alcorn State (128)
Southern (108)
Grambling State (85)
Prairie View A&M (78)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (68)
Texas Southern (37)

2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football First Team Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Aqeel Glass	Alabama A&M
RB	Ezra Gray	Alabama State
RB	Jarod Sims	Southern
OL	Mark Evans II	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL	Brian Williams	Southern
OL	Dallas Black	Southern
OL	Ja’Tyre Carter	Southern
OL	Johnathan Bishop	Southern
WR	Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim	Alabama A&M
WR	Josh Wilkes	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
TE	Ethan Howard	Southern

2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football First Team Defense

Position	Name	School
DL	Jordan Lewis	Southern
DL	Christian Clark	Alabama State
DL	Jalen Ivy	Southern
DL	Andrew Ogletree	Alabama State
LB	Keonte Hampton	Jackson State
LB	Aubrey Miller Jr.	Jackson State
LB	Kolby Watts	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB	Jalon Thigpen	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB	Irshaad Davis	Alabama State
DB	Chase Foster	Southern
DB	Caleb Brunson	Mississippi Valley State

2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Offense

Position	Name	School
QB	Skyler Perry	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
RB	Gary Quarles	Alabama A&M
RB	Caleb Johnson	Mississippi Valley State
OL	Jonathan Williams	Alabama A&M
OL	Jeremiah Stafford	Southern
OL	Noah Hayes	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL	Atondre Smith	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
OL	Nicholas Roos	Bethune-Cookman
WR	Zabrian Moore	Alabama A&M
WR	Tyrin Ralph	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
TE	Terrence Ellis	Alabama State

2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Defense

Position	Name	School
DL	Michael Badejo	Texas Southern
DL	Jason Dumas	Prairie View A&M
DL	Jerry Gardner	Mississippi Valley State
DL	Renaldo Flowers	Florida A&M
LB	Isaac Peppers	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
LB	Armoni Holloway	Alabama A&M
LB	Untareo Johnson	Bethune-Cookman
DB	Amari Holloway	Alabama A&M
DB	Naytron Culpepper	Alabama State
DB	Kenan Fontenot	Grambling State
DB	Markquese Bell	Florida A&M

2021 Preseason All-SWAC Football Second Team Specialist

Position	Name	School
K	Zack Piwniczka	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
P	Chris Faddoul	Florida A&M
RS	Ezra Gray	Alabama State

TWO OF THE TOP FIVE JUNIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN THE NATION HAVE MOVED TO DFW

David Hicks Sr. played in the NFL and is a track coach and defensive line coach. HIs son is growing into a future NFL player as well.

The No. 3 recruit in Texas and No. 8 recruit in the nation is David “DJ” Hicks Jr., who transferred to Allen from Katy Morton Ranch when his father David joined Chad Morris’ coaching staff at Allen as the defensive line coach. Hicks (6-4, 250), a five-star recruit, is ranked by 247Sports as the fifth-best defensive lineman in the nation.

Hicks is one of the most highly recruited juniors in the state, holding 35 offers. He received an offer from defending national champion Alabama on March 2, and the offers began to pour in, as he received 19 more offers after that.

Jordan Renaud transferred to Lewisville from Palmetto High School in Florida. The five-star recruit is ranked as the eighth-best defensive lineman in the nation and the fourth-best recruit in Texas in the Class of 2023.

Renaud (6-4, 250) lists 21 college offers, including Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. He joins a Lewisville team that has plenty of offense, averaging 42.7 points last season and returning 2,000-yard rusher Damien Martinez (committed to Oregon State) at running back and four-star Texas pledge Armani Winfield at wide receiver.

Watch out for Lewisville statewide this year.

SUNDAY

More and more behind the scene comments insinuate that Texas rather than OU has been the biggest bully in the Big 12. I think this funny video somewhat implies that.

This video from 2019 implies the lack of interest of Texas A&M in playing Texas. Funny…………..

OK LSU fans it is funny to laugh at UT, OU, and the Aggies, but they get their revenge with this intergation of the 2020 Tigers. Love it!

TODD DODGE IS RETIRING

Dodge played quarterback at Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur, Texas, under coach Ronnie Thompson where he set several state records. As a senior in 1980, Dodge set the record for most passing yards in a season and became the first quarterback in Texas high school football history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season (3,135 yards). That same season, he led Jefferson High to the 1980 Class 5A state championship game against Permian High School of Odessa, Texas.^[3] He also set Texas high school records for most career completions (382) and most completions in a season (221) while finishing his career with the second most career passing yards behind Gary Kubiak.^[4]

Dodge went on to play quarterback at the University of Texas at Austin under coach Fred Akers.

I got my first introduction to Todd Dodge and the fabulous offensive machine at Thomas Jefferson back in 1979 or 1980. South Louisiana high school coaches were still in a running mode, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with this Ronnie Thompson offense just 50 miles away. It was like night and day. The game I saw was a classic Texas rivalry that separated teams only by less than one mile. “The Reservation” was packed that night with about 11,000 fans to witness the mightly PNG Indians and TJ. PNG was running the popular veer option offense which was carrying the University of Houston to unstoppable heights, but I came to see this three wide out circus that Ronnie Thompson had designed. TJ had a great quarterback in Todd Dodge and great receivers like Robert Smothers, Brent Duhon, and Paddy Doyle. All I remember is that TJ won, and I came back to Lake Charles bragging about seeing something new.

Todd started his coaching career in Rockwall and immediately thought that 1987 made coaching easy because Rockwall went undefeated until game 15 when they lost in the finals of 4A to West Orange -Stark who Todd was very familiar with. Of course, Todd ended up at Southlake Carroll and won like 73 games in a row much of it with his son Riley. As we know Riley ended up at McNeese playing quarterback before getting knocked out of his career by a late hit by a SLU Lion. Riley is doing great at SLC and met his dad in the championship game of 2020 against Austin Westlake . Both programs are expected to be powerhouses in 2021.

Todd is only 58 years old, but he realizes it is time to spend time watching his son coach and his grandchildren grow up. I respect that ! Best of luck, Todd, you have earned it. He has five rings from state titles.

SATURDAY

CONFERENCE ALIGNMENT NEWS

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/07/23/texas-legislators-choosing-sides-assessing-monumental-impact-of-potential-ut-move-to-sec/

McNeese fans maybe upset at the procrastination of the Southland Conference in being progressive as well as their own administration dragging their feet and accepting the current fate. I am not going to over- react to something I cannot control. The next year or two will be critical decisions by the administration in attempting to get it right. However, from my standpoint of listening to the complaining in North Texas, we have only just begun. The panic with the remaining eight programs in the Big 12 is deservingly so. I do think OU and UT will be accepted by the SEC , even if it takes a couple of years to put this package together. OU and UTare not going to want to put up with four years of ridicule from fans and the Big 12 media, so I think they will be willing to buy out their contracts. The Dallas News thinks it will cost both schools between 30-40 million to move.

As I mentioned yesterday, the political forces are heating up with all kinds of proposals to block Texas and OU from leaving. My local legislator has already filed a bill to prohibit college presidents from making those decisions. Everyone in the state of Oklahoma is hoping for the same thing(outside of OU fans). We all know this is all about money, greed, and recruiting boundaries. This is also payback to Texas A&M for pulling that midnight run to the SEC and leaving UT holding an empty bag. To say the Ags are upset would be an understatement. I listened to several media types discuss this relationship last evening. The most profound statement came not only out of Texas, but on the SEC TV Network.

That statement is never believe what you read in the media or what college administrators say publically. In this Woke society, everyone wants to be politically correct and not say the wrong thing. I have believed this for many years because I often had the opportunity to hear administrators and coaches speak their real feelings in private settings. Many have forked tongues if you know what I mean. One unnamed Aggie administrator said that they are livid over this positioning and hate Texas so much they pay only lip service to ever playing them again. They may tell the public they are working on it, but secretly they never want to play them again. If you are winning the war of public opinion and media hype, why risk it in playing?

The SEC Network said there would be enough votes to block the move if administrators had the balls to vote their conscience and what their AD and coaches want. I am hearing that Arkansas and Missouri are 100% against this move, but are afraid of voting no. The one advantage they have now is that they can tell recruits they play in the best league in America. If they lose this, how can they possibly get any recruits being landlocked with LSU, OU, Texas , and the Mississippi schools selling their conference? However, most of the discussions I am hearing is screw UT and OU, what are we going to do with the other remaining programs? One administrator said the ESPN payouts would explode for the Super Conference, but erode for the leftovers. It was said that OU and UT might gain $20 million a year in TV rights with the move, while the remaining seven could see their payouts dwindle from $25-30 million to $3 million.

There are many phone calls being made as we speak. Will the Pac 12 react by recruiting four more schools to their list such as Iowa State, Okie State, Texas Tech, and Baylor? Don’t buy what the media is selling. Most Pac 12 presidents are arrogant buttheads and look down on programs from the center of the country. Most would say no to adding these teams. The Big 10 is on the phone wondering if they will be squashed by these turn of events. They could really use Missouri and Notre Dame to be added soon. Write it down; West Virginia will split from the Big 12 as soon as they can and beg for admission to the ACC or Big 10. It was stupid to begin with, but they were in dire straits.

I inadvertedly said that Greg Abbott was an Aggie. The previous governor was an Aggie, but Abbott attended UT and Vanderbilt. There are representatives on the phone pitching their regional universities to join the Big 12. UNT is pushing hard, but the remaining programs do not want to be lumped with programs like UNT, ETEP, Rice, and SMU. As one unidentified college president stated, ” We have been in the Mountain West and we have no plans to remake that league.” The loss of revenue could be so drastic that guys like Dave Aranda and Matt Campbell will not be paid the extreme salaries they were paid to beat UT and OU. Campbell has gone from $2 million to $4 million in just four years because he is beating Big 12 powers. Gary Patterson is who he is because he has owned Texas the past five years. If athletic department revenues drop 75% as some predict, then there is no way they will keep those contracts after they run out.

The Big 12 has split revenues of TV, bowl games, and merchandise the past few years, but those numbers are going down, down, down. It was even mentioned that players’ ability to cash in with NLI money will diminish with the cash flow to a Big 12 minus the two big brothers. By the way, I saw a McNeese football player already setting up a website selling photos of his teammates and action shots he took.

I have no idea of where this is going. All I know is that it will not aid LSU in the long run with recruiting. Everyone anticpated Bama and Auburn moving to the East, but I expect more of four 4 team pods where those four programs play each other every year and rotate games with the other pods. Anyway you split it, LSU will have Texas on their schedule. What we do know is this is just the beginning. There will be fallout ranging from the top of the mountain down to the many programs known as mid-major. One Baylor fan called me to tell me this would be the last year of his season tickets. He said OU and UT made his tickets worth money, but if TCU is the biggest game of the year and UNT and Rice are admitted, he is out. So it is a mess, but this is all about money. If OU were playing in the SEC this year, QB Spencer Rattler would demand endorsements of near a million like the Bama quarterback.

SEC COACHES POLL

East Division

Georgia (124): 923 votes

Florida (7): 784

Kentucky (2): 624

Missouri: 555

Tennessee: 362

South Carolina (1): 355

Vanderbilt: 149

West Division

Alabama (130): 932 votes

Texas A&M (1): 760

LSU (1): 633

Mississippi (1): 529

Auburn: 440

Arkansas (1): 241

Mississippi State: 217

SEC champion

Alabama: 84 votes

Georgia: 45

Mississippi: 1

Texas A&M: 1

Florida: 1

Kentucky: 1

South Carolina: 1

MCNEESE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ENJOYING A DAY OFF

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS

The day we learned former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden had pancreatic cancer, we got news that former McNeese great R.C. Slocum was doing well in his battle with cancer. Coach Bowden’s time with us is limited, but prayers for Coach Slocum to continue to recover.

FRIDAY

SULPHUR SHOWS THEIR SUPPORT

FRANK WILSON, CODY ORGERON AND ISAIAH CHAMBERS LOOKING SHARP IN HOUSTON

WHAT DID WE LEARN AT THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEDIA DAY?

First things first: the coaches poll mirrored my prediction on Wednesday perfectly. Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State have the most returning personnel and their domination of the All-SLC team made this an easy pick. UIW returns almost their entire team, so they have big expectations. McNeese was picked 4th by the coaches and SIDs which means the coaches are not too impressed with the Pokes revamped roster. Of course,the coaches could have picked McNeese higher and the SIDs lower.

I caught the interviews with the top four programs and it was typical pre-season hype. I used to attend these meetings back in the day when they were held in Frisco and The Woodlands. I never left the meetings feeling good about our chances because Tommy Tate and Matt Viator were not smoke blowers and the league was loaded with plenty of them. For a couple of years, I got to have fun with friends who were in the league like Mike Santiago and Scott Stoker. My favorite of all time was Manny Matsakis of Texas State. This was around 2003 or 2004 when he replaced the classy Bob DeBesse. I had a one on one with Manny and he told me no DC in the Southland Conference would be able to stop HIS offense. I baited him with some loaded questions after I figured out he was full of himself. Cool Manny lasted one year and was replaced after a 4-8 season when defenses did figure out how to stop his offense. He thought he was Lane Kiffin, but he fell short.

My point being that sometimes you have to lift your feet and avoid not stepping in it. This year was not so much like that because the head coaches are pretty reserve and respect each other. Of course, I was impressed with Coach Wilson and his ability to communicate. Overall, he seems to be upbeat and looking forward to the season. The Pokes did improve throughout the spring and finished against Nicholls State and Sam Houston playing pretty good ball. I thought Lamar and UIW were disasters because we self-destructed.

So where does that leave us entering the fall of 2021? There is no doubt the roster has been improved since the spring. The interesting thing is that McNeese still will have the least amount of returning starters within the league. It was released that over 82% of all SLC football players are returning this fall. Northwestern State had 20 seniors on their spring roster and 15 signed up to return for an extra year. Until we get passed this Covid redshirt management, I have no idea of just who benefits the most. By my count, McNeese lost Trevor Begue, Caleb Gary(OG), and Max Charite (OG) from the starting offense. On defense, Cam Peterson was a part-time starter at DT as was LB Dorian Pollard. Safety Corey McCoy was definitely a fulltime starter. There are some backups that used up their eligibilty, or graduated, so we lost a total of 14 players from the spring including our punter Bailey Rayborn.

In most years, these numbers would lead the league, and it would qualify as a very experienced team. However, everyone has even more returning players. All of these numbers are very deceptive. Coach Wilson expounded on the subject during his Q and A. He is a firm believer in recruiting above what was lost and striving to improve the roster going forward. I think he has accomplished this because the influx of new talent will cover up any losses from the spring. Wilson emphasized the need to keep building blocks of talent and developing depth. I couldn’t agree more.

My Texas Rangers are horrible and just because they can brag that the roster is young, it doesn’t matter if they do not have the talent to be stars in the big leagues. In my opinion, I would rather see a very talented group that has a high ceiling, rather than use the excuse that they are just young. A .225 hitter that can hit .240 next year is not going to improve the team. You need to replace those type of players with players with huge potential. Baseball does it through free agency if you don’t want to wait five years on 18-20 year old draftees. Colleges use the transfer portal.

I will go over the personnel in detail as we get closer to the August 3rd training camp. Regardless of our anticipation to seeing the new additions, I place just as much importance on the last two months of workouts. The improvement in the weight room is staggering and much needed. Coach Bunting and staff should be recognized for their goals to push the players to new heights.

When I see guys like Cody Orgeron who has added 20 pounds to his raw frame, you recognize the dedication these players have. If you go back pre-Covid, the Pokes signed two outside linebackers and a defensive end that on paper looked a little light in the pants. Earenest Grayson was a 6’2 210 LB, Khaylon Chapple was a fast, but thin outside linebacker at around 215. Grayson Mays was a 215-220 lb DE. You are now looking at Grayson (6’3 247), Chapple(6’3 236), and Mays (6’2 244). These guys are still just puppies, but they are growing into their positions which really strengthen our backup defensive ends.

Summer school is wrapping up and athletes are heading home for their last visit for several months. The basketball team broke camp on Wednesday and many of their players had a much longer trip home. Football will take a short two week break before reporting on August 3. It is almost time to start the 2021 season.

BASKETBALL ADDITION

Baltimore Cal Poly guard Trae English (6′ 170) will be joining the McNeese basketball team for the fall semester. He is a 2021 high school graduate.