sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to President's Day!
Presidents' Day is officially known as Washington's Birthday, and is a holiday to honor the first president, George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732. It is a federal holiday, as well as a state holiday in many states. In 1800, the year after Washington's death, the day became an unofficial day of remembrance. The centennial of his birth was a particularly important day of celebration, and the Washington Monument went under construction in 1848. Congress and President Rutherford B. Hayes made Washington's Birthday a holiday in 1879. Originally only federal offices in Washington D.C. were closed, but this was expanded to all federal offices in 1885. At this time the holiday was observed on Washington's actual birthday.
SU News
(PS; podcast; Axe)
On the latest episode of Syracuse Sports presented by Crouse Health, syracuse.com's Brent Axe and Emily Leiker catch up with new SU football offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.Jeff tells Brent and Emily why he took the job at Syracuse and about his memories of Syracuse football and connection with former OC George DeLeone. Nixon also lays out what his vision is for the Syracuse offense, describes the attributes transfer QB Kyle McCord brings to the offense, what RB LeQuint Allen can learn from some of the players he has coached in the NFL, his recruiting philosophy, what the Tommy DeVito experience was like with the Giants and some of his favorite things about living in Syracuse so far.Brent and Emily also discuss recent SU football news on WR Damien Alford being dismissed from the team, the abrupt departure of recruiting coordinator Khalil Ahmad from the staff and the 2024 spring football schedule and date of the spring game.
Late Kick: Syracuse is a total mystery team in 2024 (cbssports.com; podcast; Late Kick Live)
In this excerpt from Late Kick Live, Josh provides insight as to why Syracuse's potential for success is a complete mystery for next season.
Syracuse Football: Odds-makers aren’t too high on projected ‘Cuse win total in 2024 (itlh; Adler)
There is a lot of optimism among some national and Atlantic Coast Conference experts regarding the prospects for Syracuse football in the upcoming 2024 season.
What’s more, the Orange fan base is energized about what’s to come in the future as first-year head coach Fran Brown leads the program during what I view as a favorable schedule for the ‘Cuse this coming term.
Some pundits have stated of late that the Orange could contend for the ACC’s top tier in 2024, or at least over the next few years. Personally, I think SU can contend for the ACC championship this coming campaign, but I may have some Orange-colored glasses on with that prognostication.
That being said, a recent forecast from odds-makers isn’t super high on Syracuse football, despite what Brown and his staff have done with their 2024 recruiting efforts, along with numerous key returnees from a stanza ago.
I like Syracuse football to win at least nine games in the 2024 season.
Not too long ago, per an article from On3 writer Nick Schultz, FanDuel came out with its projected win totals for ACC schools. Schultz noted that three league squads, Clemson, Florida State and Miami, are all forecast to win 9.5 games, per FanDuel.
What about the Orange? The ‘Cuse is projected at 6.5 victories, which seems low to me.
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UGASports - Syracuse Recruiting Roundup: 2/19/24 (r1vals; Sen)
Syracuse football's new coaching staff continues to offer top high school prospects from around the country.
We spoke to seven of them to get their reactions to their SU recruitments.
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NATL
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ST
-
POS
MANDRELL
DESIR
6'3" | 235 LBS | WDE | 2025
MIAMI NORLAND
MIAMI, FL
5.5
"I love how the new coaching staff brings the energy. I think it’s a great program."
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NATL
-
ST
-
POS
MAX
REDMON
6'3" | 185 LBS | S | 2025
CARDINAL NEWMAN
WEST PALM BEACH, FL
N/A
"I am very blessed and grateful for the offer. The new staff is amazing."
READ THE JUICE ONLINE'S FULL INTERVIEW WITH MAX REDMON
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NATL
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ST
-
POS
ADAM
BALOGOUN-ALI
6'2" | 215 LBS | OLB | 2026
BENJAMIN SCHOOL
NORTH PALM BEACH, FL
N/A
"The staff seems incredibly committed to building something special up at Syracuse and I’m excited to be able to consider joining the next uprising of Syracuse football."
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NATL
5
ST
-
POS
KENNETH
MCMANUS
6'3" | 290 LBS | OG | 2025
ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE HIGH
WASHINGTON, DC
5.5
"I’m excited to see how the new coaching staff will change the program."
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NATL
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ST
-
POS
BRYCE
WILLIAMS
6'0" | 185 LBS | ATH | 2026
PENNINGTON PREP
PENNINGTON, NJ
N/A
""I love all the new staff. I spoke with all of them they are all genuine great coaches who definitely show they are very passionate about what they do."
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NATL
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ST
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POS
BJ
GARRETT
6'3" | 170 LBS | WR | 2026
MIDDLETOWN
MIDDLETOWN, DE
N/A
""I would say Syracuse is in my top 3."
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NATL
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ST
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POS
CHARLIE
FOULKE IV
6'0" | 184 LBS | PRO QB | 2027
ST. JOSEPH'S
PHILADELPHIA, PA
N/A
"Not only is the school great, so is the new coaching staff. Excited to watch their year ahead."
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Follow us on Twitter @TheJuiceOnline, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @SUJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.
Tips/questions/concerns? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.
ACC News
ACC wants FSU's suit filed in Florida put on hold (ESPN; Murphy)
The Atlantic Coast Conference asked a Florida judge on Friday to press pause on a lawsuit Florida State filed, which claims the conference is breaching its contract, until a similar case concludes in North Carolina.
The ACC and Florida State sued each other in late December to resolve a dispute over what the university would have to pay if it opts to leave the conference. Lawyers for the Seminoles estimate the school would have to pay $527 million to withdraw from the league and regain control over its media rights, severing a contract that isn't scheduled to expire until 2036. They argued that those fees are "draconian" and "unreasonable restraints of trade in the State of Florida."
The two sides are battling to determine which state court should get to rule on their dispute. The ACC wants the case to play out in North Carolina, where its headquarters are located. Florida State wants the case to be heard on its home turf by a circuit court judge in Tallahassee.
The ACC's filing on Friday argues that its grant of rights contract is governed by North Carolina law and that their North Carolina-based lawsuit should take precedence because it was filed first -- one day before Florida State submitted its claim to the Florida court.
"[T]he parties substantively engaged first on the field in North Carolina. ...And that is as it should be," the ACC's lawyers wrote in their motion Friday. "Florida State chose to join the ACC, a North Carolina unincorporated nonprofit association, and entered and specifically voted in favor of the contracts it now challenges, all of which are governed by North Carolina law."
If the judge does not grant a stay in the Florida case, the ACC also submitted a motion to dismiss the case for a variety of reasons. The conference says Florida State hasn't specified what contract the ACC is allegedly breaching. It also argued Florida State can't ask a judge to make a ruling before the school takes some action to leave the conference.
...
Could Florida State buy the TV rights for FSU football from the ACC? (tampabaytimes.com; $; Baker)
Buried in 40-plus pages of legalese the ACC made in a court filing Friday was a potential solution to the conference’s weeks-long legal back-and-forth with Florida State:
The Seminoles could buy back their TV rights from the conference.
The ACC contends that it owns those rights through 2036. That’s because FSU signed a document called a grant of rights in 2016. FSU granted the rights to broadcast its home games to the ACC through 2036. The ACC sold them to ESPN and distributes the money back to FSU and its peers.
Whether that deal is enforceable could ultimately be decided by a judge in Leon County or Mecklenburg County, N.C. If it’s ironclad — as the ACC argues — FSU estimates that it risks losing up to $429 million in TV revenue. If FSU is correct, then the Seminoles could exit for free.
The ACC’s latest motion presents a third option.
“If Florida State wishes to regain control of the rights before the end of the term, it could attempt to repurchase them,” the filing said. “But having to buy back a right which was assigned is not a penalty; it is simply a commercial possibility.”
A commercial possibility that had not been raised previously in the dueling lawsuits. A price was not specified but, like everything in this legal fight, is subject to negotiation.
The rest of the filing was a series of technical arguments. Many focused on where this dispute should be heard — in FSU’s home venue (Leon County Circuit Court) or the ACC’s home venue (Mecklenburg County Superior Court).
The ACC filed its suit in North Carolina on Dec. 21, the day before FSU sued the conference in Leon County. Friday’s filing said North Carolina remains the proper venue because it’s where the conference is based and home of the first suit. The league said Florida State was “fumbling the jurisdictional ball.”
“Florida State alleges no facts in support of its bare-bones venue allegation (for Tallahassee),” the motion said.
The conference reiterated how FSU has received millions of TV dollars without complaint. That fact cuts against the school’s argument that those deals were rotten or broken and, according to the filing, means FSU can’t challenge their validity. It also means North Carolina’s three-year statute of limitations is up.
Friday’s document fights back against FSU’s antitrust claims that the ACC has limited the Seminoles’ ability to compete in the marketplace. The ACC responded with two points: Cal, Stanford and SMU are joining the ACC despite the guidelines FSU is blasting, while competitors like the Big Ten and SEC are thriving. Those are signs of a market that’s working, not one that’s broken.
The ACC took issue with two other points. One is that FSU’s suit asks a court for legal guidance before voting on whether to leave. Instead, Florida State could have given the ACC its notice of withdrawal and worked through the legal and financial details afterward.
The second responded to FSU’s previous suggestions that now-former commissioner John Swofford made an improper TV deal that helped his son. The ACC did not give a detailed defense but said Florida State was “improperly using this Court to air decades-old insinuations (apparently solely from an old news article) about former ACC Commissioner Swofford and his son.”
Late Kick: Could Florida State be leaving the ACC before the start of next season? (cbssports.com; video; Late Kick Live)
In this excerpt from Late Kick Live, Josh gives an update on the latest situation between Florida State and the ACC.
The ACC boasts two of the top five recruiters in the nation (usatoday.com; Moreno)
In the fast-paced ACC football conference, two recruiters have emerged as the vanguards of talent acquisition, dominating the 247Sports 2024 recruiter rankings. Fran Brown, the orchestrator of Georgia’s No. 1 2024 class before taking the helm at Syracuse, and Jason Taylor. He is Miami’s defensive line coach with a Hall of Fame aura, standing out not only in the ACC but nationally for their unparalleled recruiting prowess.
Fran Brown’s journey to the top of the recruiting world is highlighted by his authentic connections with recruits and their families. His ability to forge deep, meaningful relationships was instrumental in securing commitments from top talents, including Ellis Robinson IV, Justin Williams, and KJ Bolden for Georgia’s class, which ranked No. 1. Brown’s commitment to family and his genuine approach has set a new standard, evidenced by his swift impact at Syracuse, where he assembled the best recruiting class in the modern era for the Orange in just a few months.
Jason Taylor, on the other hand, leverages his NFL legacy and coaching acumen to make an instant impact at Miami. His significant role in recruiting the best defensive line class Miami has seen emphasizes his effectiveness on the recruiting trail. Taylor’s ability to attract top talent, including flipping five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott from Ohio State, and defensive end Armando Blount from rival Florida State, speaks volumes of his influence and the trust recruits place in him.
These two recruiters, along with other notable names like Holmon Wiggins (now at Texas A&M), Frank Wilson, and Marcus Davis, who also grace the list, have shaped the future of their respective programs with relentless recruitment efforts.
Brown and Taylor understand that the foundation of a strong recruit-coach relationship is trust, built on honest communication and genuine interactions. Their success proves how important the power of authenticity is in an environment often clouded by uncertainty.
It’s their genuine nature that breaks through defenses, proving that, in the ever-evoling game of recruitment, integrity, and trust are not just game plans but the endgame itself. In a field full of NIL deals and broken promises, it’s not just about making the pass—it’s about ensuring it’s caught with integrity.
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Friedlander: 3 surprise ACC invitees to the NFL Scouting Combine ... and 3 snubs - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Earning an invitation to the NFL’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis doesn’t guarantee a player will be drafted.
Or even taken in a later round.
But it certainly can’t hurt his chances.
The event, also known as the Underwear Olympics, is an opportunity to show off for representatives of all 32 NFL teams both on the field in individual drills and in interviews. This year’s Combine is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The draft will take place April 23-27 in Detroit.
Of the 321 players invited to participate at the Combine, 45 played the 2023 season at ACC schools. Two other high-profile invitees, quarterbacks Devin Leary and Sam Hartman, played most of their college careers in the conference.
While most of the ACC representatives were expected to be included, led by projected 1st rounders Drake
Maye of North Carolina and Jared Verse of Florida State, some of those earning invitations were a surprise.
Let’s take a look at 3 of those players … along with 3 who weren’t as lucky.
Invitees
Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
A transfer from Wisconsin, Guerendo spent most of his only season with the Cardinals playing 2nd fiddle to teammate Jawhar Jordan, who was 2nd in the ACC in rushing with more than 1,100 yards and was also invited to Indy.But with Jordan nursing a sore hamstring against Virginia Tech on Nov. 4, he opened some eyes by running for 146 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns on only 11 carries. He opened even more at the Holiday Bowl by gaining 161 yards on the ground, catching 5 passes and scoring 3 more times against Southern Cal before putting together a standout week at the East-West Shrine Bowl. He finished the season with 810 yards, 11 touchdowns and a 6.1 yard per carry average.
Jordan has the size to be a power back at 6-1, 225 pounds. But he also has the speed to be a big-play threat, as he showed on a game-winning 73-yard burst in a come-from-behind win against Virginia.
Bub Means, WR, Pitt
Means is an example of how important postseason all-star games can be. He came on strong late in the season, amassing 650 of his 721 yards and 6 of his 11 touchdowns in the final 8 games, and finishing the year with 41 catches.But while those numbers were good enough for him a spot in the East-West Shrine Bowl, he probably wouldn’t have been invited to the Combine without a strong performance during the week of practice in Frisco, Tex.
Although he skipped the game, Means showed that in addition to his speed, acceleration and hands that helped him average better than 16 yards per catch during his college career that began at Louisiana Tech, the early-entering junior also has the ability to be a precise route-runner.
Joe Shimko, LS, NC State
OK, so technically Shimko isn’t among the 321 prospects invited to the actual Combine. He will participate in the new Specialists Showcase that will be held in Indy in conjunction to the event. Regardless, it isn’t often that a long snapper gets this kind of opportunity to show off his skills to NFL talent evaluators.Only 10 long snappers have been drafted since 2001, according to NFL.com. And none has gone higher than the 6th round.
The Patrick Mannelly Award winner as the best long snapper in the country in 2023, Shimko did not have a bad snap in over 600 attempts during his 5 seasons with the Wolfpack. He is 1 of 5 long snappers invited to the Specialists Showcase.
Snubs
Jack Plummer, QB, Louisville
Granted this year’s quarterback class is top-heavy and deep. But after a regular season in which he ranked 2nd in the conference in passing yards (3,204), 2nd in completion percentage (.648) and 3rd in touchdowns (21), Plummer had a chance to earn a spot among the 2nd tier of this year’s passers at the East-West Shrine Bowl.He didn’t take advantage of the opportunity.
If Means is an example of how much an impressive week of practice at a postseason all-star game can help improve a player’s draft stock, Plummer is Exhibit A of how a tepid performance can hurt. Although he showed a decent arm and leadership skills during the week of practice, he cost himself a trip to Indy by completing only 4 of 10 passes for just 40 yards.
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First Ever AP Top 25 (RX; HM)
First Ever AP Top 25
October 19, 1936
It's been over 87 years since the Associated Press (AP) released their very first College Football Top 25 Poll. It's an understatement to say that things looked very different back then! Here's a tweet showing that first Top 25:
That poll contained 4 schools which will be members of the ACC this Fall:
Not the teams you're used to seeing in the Top 25? What's just as surprising is the teams you don't see in the 1936 poll:
- No Alabama
- No Ohio State
- No Michigan
There's a wikipedia article about that 1936 season - click here to read it.
UPDATE: 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25 (ESPN) (RX; HM)
UPDATE: 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25 (ESPN)
From ESPN revises 2024 Way-Too-Early college football Top 25 rankings on FBSchedules...
ESPN released its 2024 Way-Too-Early college football Top 25 rankings on January 8, 2024, but...
First, let's look at the actual rankings:
| TEAM | Rank | Prev. | Chg. |
| Georgia | 1 | 1 | nc |
| Ohio State | 2 | 5 | up 3 |
| Oregon | 3 | 3 | nc |
| Texas | 4 | 2 | dn 2 |
| Notre Dame | 5 | 10 | up 5 |
| Ole Miss | 6 | 7 | up 1 |
| Missouri | 7 | 8 | up 1 |
| Penn State | 8 | 12 | up 4 |
| Alabama | 9 | 4 | dn 5 |
| Utah | 10 | 13 | up 3 |
| Arizona | 11 | 9 | dn 2 |
| LSU | 12 | 14 | up 2 |
| Michigan | 6 | 13 | up 7 |
| Oklahoma | 14 | 15 | up 1 |
| Florida State | 15 | 16 | up 1 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 17 | up 1 |
| Oklahoma St | 17 | 18 | up 1 |
| NC State | 18 | 20 | up 2 |
| Clemson | 19 | 19 | nc |
| Kansas State | 20 | 21 | up 1 |
| Louisville | 21 | 22 | up 1 |
| Kansas | 22 | 23 | up 1 |
| Kentucky | 23 | NR | ? |
| Miami | 24 | NR | ? |
| Texas AM | 25 | NR | ? |
By far the biggest falls were experienced by Alabama, who replaced Nick Saban with Kalen DeBoer, and Washington, who replaced DeBoer with Jedd Fisch.
A great recruiting haul by Miami propels the Hurricanes into the Top 25, bumping SMU out in the process.
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Links, News and Rumors 2024 Feb 16 (RX; HM)
Links, News and Rumors 2024 Feb 16
From CBS Sports: EA Sports teases 'College Football 25' video game with new trailer, promises long-awaited launch this summer
College Football 25 | Official Teaser Trailer
Yeah, it’s really happening. Coming this summer. Full reveal in May.
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NC State Earns Top Honor in Collegiate Licensing
The International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA) recently named NC State University its 2023 Synergy Award winner. The award is given annually to a university team that demonstrates exceptional work in the collegiate licensing industry...https://www.si.com/college/fsu/foot...-analyst-florida-state-best-acc-football-team (SI; Kimble)
The Florida State Seminoles don't currently have the best relationship with the ACC, and they'll be out of the conference at their first chance. Still, the Seminoles remain in the conference and are coming off a season that saw them win the ACC Championship against Louisville.
Having built on a few years of momentum, Florida State's resurgence behind Mike Norvell seems to be one that will see continuous success in Tallahassee, though the program will have a fresh look next season.
Norvell will be able to begin building sustained success next season if he's able to have another good year with the program while dealing with roster turnover with the NFL Draft and transfer portal.
College football analyst Josh Pate provided updated ACC program power rankings leading up to the spring, which saw Florida State jump to the top spot.
"Florida State University is the best program in the ACC right now, and here's what I'm taking into account -- I care about the last three years of on-field production, talent acquisition, I care about your stability along with you resource pool," Pate said.
Evidently, if those are the things to look at when determining what the best program is in the conference, the Seminoles truly check every box. Norvell has brought back what seems to be stability and consistency to the program, though the next couple of seasons will be very, very telling of that.
"They are 23-4 over the past couple of seasons. They got three top-20 classes in the last three years, They're number one in the ACC in portal classes the last three years and Mike Norvell just got himself locked in long-term," Pate continued.
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Other
NY is giving Syracuse millions for good ideas to reduce poverty. Here are 6 suggestions (PS; $; Eisenstadt)
Syracuse recently was ranked near the top in a list no one wants to be on: worst child poverty.
The city’s child poverty rate is the second highest in the nation among cities its size. Nearly one in every two children in Syracuse lives in poverty.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is offering another opportunity to help. The governor announced a new pot of $50 million to help struggling families in the poorest neighborhoods of Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.
There are few details about how the money would be split up and used. And there are so many options in Syracuse, starting with child poverty.
The city and county are a child-care desert. Public transportation is so spotty that some people spend half their paycheck to Uber to work.
Family homelessness has been at an all-time high in the city for more than a year now.
Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard spoke to people who have worked with struggling families for decades to find out where they think the state would get the most bang for its buck.
Everyone agreed that spending more money to help people in poverty could only be a good thing. But even if the city received all of the $50 million, it’s a small amount compared to the gaping need.
So which problem should get the most attention? Where would the money do the most good?
Linda Lopez, former executive director of the Salvation Army: Housing
“It’s hard to think of anything but housing,” Lopez said. She’s worked with the homeless population in Syracuse for 30 years and was the executive director of the Salvation Army until this month. (She left to run ICAN, a nonprofit in Utica). She’s never seen a housing crisis like the one that’s facing Syracuse now. Lopez said she doesn’t anticipate it getting any better for at least the next five years.
There are five times more homeless families in Onondaga County than there were before the pandemic began, and the Salvation Army’s shelter, the only family shelter, has been full for two years.
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GlobalFoundries wins $3.1 billion in CHIPS Act subsidies for Upstate NY, Vermont expansion (PS; Weiner)
GlobalFoundries would receive $3.1 billion in federal grants and loans to expand its Upstate New York computer chip plant and modernize a factory in Vermont, according to a preliminary deal the White House plans to announce today.
The massive package of subsidies would be the largest award to date to a manufacturer competing for aid from the $52 billion federal CHIPS and Science Act.
GlobalFoundries would receive $1.5 billion in grants and $1.6 billion in federal loans under a preliminary, non-binding agreement, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
In return for the subsidies, GlobalFoundries said it would invest about $12.5 billion in the projects, most of which would be spent to expand the company’s Fab 8 in Malta, in Saratoga County.
The big subsidies for GlobalFoundries offer a preview to the kind of announcement that President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to make soon for Micron Technology, which plans to build a much larger complex of computer chip plants in Central New York.
The GlobalFoundries expansion would create up to 1,500 manufacturing jobs and 9,000 construction jobs over the next 10 years, federal officials said.
Most of the new jobs would be created in Upstate New York, where GlobalFoundries is building a new plant to triple production capacity, said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
The jobs would be on top of the 2,500 at the company’s existing plant in Malta, he said.
GlobalFoundries is one of only four companies in the world outside of China – and the only one in the United States – with the capacity to operate large-scale foundries that produce semiconductors used in both consumer and military applications.
The Saratoga County plant produces chips considered vital to national security, supplying more than 200 customers.
GlobalFoundries has signed a long-term deal to produce chips at its Upstate New York campus for Lockheed Martin, the nation’s largest defense contractor. The plant also has a long-term agreement to supply chips to General Motors for its cars and trucks.
...
