sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to King Kamehameha Day!
King Kamehameha Day is a public holiday in Hawaiʻi that honors Kamehameha I, the Hawaiian king who was also known as Kamehameha the Great and the Napoleon of the Pacific. Kamehameha is known for establishing the unified Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1810, which brought together the islands of Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. He was monarch of Hawaiʻi from 1782 until his death on May 8, 1819. The holiday was proclaimed by Kamehameha's grandson, Kamehameha V, on December 22, 1871; it was first observed the following year. After Hawaiʻi became a state in 1959, the holiday was proclaimed by its governor and legislature as well.
Celebrations at the time of the day's creation consisted of fairs, carnivals, and races on foot, horse, and velocipede. Presently, the day nods to the ancient Hawaiian traditions that Kameham
SU News
Dino Babers: ‘I still love my islands’ | West Hawaii Today (westhawaiitoday.com; Reardon)
Oahu-born Dino Babers is teaching Hawaiian at Syracuse University.
“They probably won’t be fluent, but I’m teaching them the important words,” Babers says in a phone interview Tuesday. “Aloha, ohana and … okole.”
As in move your okole faster before I kick it?
Babers laughs his hearty laugh and answers. “Absolutely.”
In addition to running Syracuse’s unofficial one-instructor Polynesian Language department, the keiki o ka aina and University of Hawaii alumnus is also the head football coach at a school much better known for producing basketball championships and sportscasters.
He was born in Hawaii a few days before Barack Obama, and jokes about his white-print-on-black-background birth certificate from the pink military hospital looking more strange than the future president’s from Kapiolani Medical Center.
At 56, he is both a rising star and a 35-year overnight success.
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Football's moral dilemma: In bringing athletes back, schools ask players to take a risk (PS; Ditota)
Don McPherson has left his apartment on Long Island six times since March 12. He’s ventured out only to buy food, he said. His region was hit hard by the coronavirus, and he believes the way to eradicate the disease is to maintain social distancing until public health experts counsel otherwise.
These days the former Syracuse University great is wrestling with his love for football and his dedication to the Covid cause. He understands the push to restart practices, to return the game and possibly save it from dire financial consequences of a missed season. But he’s also aware of the potential injustice of sending football players out to play a contact sport in the middle of a mysterious pandemic.
“I can’t get a haircut, but football teams can go back to practice?” McPherson said. “The hypocrisy of the moment is glaring. And you throw in the backdrop of Black Lives Matter, and it’s really a perplexing dilemma.”
Critics and watchdogs wonder whether college football is rushing back too soon and subjecting its players to unknowable physical risk during a time when medical experts acknowledge there is much to learn about Covid-19.
Many college football players returned for “voluntary” workouts this week, though anybody who has ever played a sport understands how voluntary those wor
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets — 2020 Syracuse Football preview - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
As we countdown to kickoff in September, we’re going to be doing a team-by-team preview each week over the summer. SU will continue its 2020 ACC schedule on October 31 against Georgia Tech.
COLLINS STRUGGLES IN YEAR 1
It was a rough transition for head coach Geoff Collins in his first year at Georgia Tech.
Collins was tasked with fitting the proverbial square peg into a round hole, using players that were recruited for Paul Johnson’s triple-option wishbone offense with a more traditional modern spread option.
The results were predictably not good, with the Yellow Jackets staggering to a 3-9 record (2-6 ACC Coastal), including a brutal late season 45-0 home loss to Virginia Tech. It was the first time Georgia Tech had been shut out at home since 1957.
The Yellow Jackets ranked at the bottom of FBS football in nearly every category, finishing 127th in total offense (286 ypg) and 124th in points (16.7 ppg).
Still, there was positive signs to take away from the transition year. For starters, in the second half of the season, the Yellow Jackets upset Miami on the road in overtime, and also clipped NC State in its penultimate regular season game. Georgia Tech also was competitive against eventual ACC Coastal Champion Virginia, losing by five on the road.
Collins and his staff were active on the recruiting trail, pulling in the No. 27 overall class (fifth in the ACC) in 2020 according to 247 Sports as he tailors his recruits to his rapid style of play.
THE OFFENSE SHOULD IMPROVE
The title is a pretty obvious one. The Yellow Jackets should improve because from the bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.
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Has recruiting improved under Dino Babers? (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football had a 10 win season in 2018, and has gone viral multiple times in the four seasons of the Dino Babers era. Babers has injected life, energy and hope into a program that had largely been left for dead on the national landscape. One of his biggest challenges when taking over the Syracuse job was improving recruiting. With that has come an influx of resources poured into the program, including upgraded facilities with a new indoor practice facility as a highlight.
That biggest challenge, however, remains a topic of debate. Has Syracuse really improved its recruiting under coach Babers? We went to the data to compare his recruiting efforts to those under Doug Marrone and Scott Shafer. Here is what the data says:
| Category | Marrone Rank | Marrone Rating | Shafer Rank | Shafer Rating | Babers Rank | Babers Rating |
| Cycle 1 | 92 | 0.8049 | 60 | 0.8174 | 62 | 0.8345 |
| Cycle 2 | 60 | 0.8270 | 74 | 0.8128 | 54 | 0.8357 |
| Cycle 3 | 58 | 0.8089 | 52 | 0.8272 | 51 | 0.8527 |
| Cycle 4 | N/A | N/A | 57 | 0.8269 | 56 | 0.8483 |
| Cycle 5 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 58 | 0.8399 |
| Average | 70 | 0.8136 | 61 | 0.8211 | 56 | 0.8422 |
A couple of notes on this data. First, we assigned the cycle to whichever coach was in place during National Signing Day in February. Therefore, Marrone's timeframe includes the 2009 through 2011 recruiting cycles. Shafer's was 2012 through 2015. Babers was 2016 through the recently finished 2020 cycle. Transfers are not included. The data is from the 247Sports Composite Ranking, which is an average of the industry recruiting service rankings.
Now what does that data mean? It means the highest ranked class that Syracuse has had in the last 12 recruiting cycles was a Dino Babers class in 2018 when Syracuse was 51st. Over the that time period, the top five classes in terms of average player rating were all Babers classes.
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MLive’s top 50 football recruits in Michigan for class of 2021: June update (mlive.com; Purcell)
As hope continues to grow for a football season in some shape or form this fall, many football players from across the state of Michigan have continued to move forward in their recruitment and commitments.
MLive has been making monthly checkups on the top 50 football recruits the state of Michigan has to offer. MLive has been checking in with the players moving forward as they navigate their dynamic recruiting trail. Expect this list to change as we continue to update on a monthly basis.
Star ratings referenced are from the 247Sports composite rankings.
COMMITMENT WATCH
Garrett Dellinger, OT, Clarkston
Although Dellinger announced his top four a month ago, which was Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and LSU, he released a video teasing his commitment date of June 24. The four-star offensive tackle also had offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida and Michigan State before narrowing his list.
4-star Michigan OT target Garrett Dellinger of Clarkston sets commitment date
Brandon Honorable, OT, Detroit Martin Luther King
6-7, 280
3 stars
Commitment: Pittsburgh
Honorable was approaching 20 offers when he announced his commitment on May 10.
"I just felt like it was for me because they had plan for me, not just for football, but life after football," Honorable said. "The offense was perfect for me , and they showed a lot of interest in me.
Top recruits: Detroit King OL now knows why coach called him a ‘walking millionaire’
Austin Roon, OLB, Byron Center
6-3, 200
3 stars
Commitment: Syracuse
Committing on May 24, Syracuse was one of a dozen offers Roon chose from.
“They treated me like family the whole time that I talked to them,” Roon said. “That really meant something to me. I really like the coaches there. They are great guys, and the campus is beautiful. Syracuse has a lot of things that I was looking for. That all led to my decision.”
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Louisville Football: Ranking Cardinals’ 2020 opponents by toughness (saturdaybitz.com; Muldowney)
Scott Satterfield is entering his second season as Louisville football coach and there’s a good chance the Cardinals will contend in the ACC.
Hope was the main theme of Louisville football heading into the 2019 season when Scott Satterfield took over a broken program left behind by Bobby Petrino.
The Cardinals were coming off a 2-10 season and had no true resolution at quarterback nor did the roster look all that stout. But then Satterfield made the most of what he was given, developed some young guys and now the second-year head coach heads into 2020 with one of the best teams in the ACC while recruiting at a high level.
Louisville finished the 2019 season with a surprising 8-5 record which included a 38-28 win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl and there’s a belief that the Cardinals are going to be one of the best teams in the conference in 2020.
Micale Cunningham returns as one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, Javian Hawkins is an all-conference running back and Tutu Atwell is one heck of an offensive weapons.
Defensively, this team could afford to improve drastically as it finished ranked in the 100s in rushing defense, scoring defense and total defense.
What about the schedule? Louisville has a favorable slate which could help it reach 10 wins.
How do those opponents ranks in terms of toughness?
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10 NC STATE WOLFPACK Sept. 3 Louisville (Ky.)
I’m not very high on NC State heading into the 2020 season and, in my opinion, the Wolfpack are one of those teams that could finish at the bottom of the ACC.
Devin Leary should be the starter at quarterback with Matthew McKay gone but he’ll be pushed by freshman Ty Evans. The offense was an issue last season and the defense wasn’t much better. The Wolfpack return 12 starters to a team that finished 4-8 and that could mean another disaster of a season approaching for Dave Doeren and Co.
9 BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES Oct. 10 Chestnut Hill (Mass.)
Boston College is just ahead of NC State in these rankings because the Cardinals will be facing the Eagles away from home. However, away games are losing some luster this offseason because of COVID-19 and there’s talk about capacity be limited to anywhere between 20 and 50 percent.
However, the Eagles should be just as easy of a win for Louisville because they’re undergoing a big coaching change, moving on from Steve Addazio, and they’re also losing all-everything running back AJ Dillon. David Bailey could be a solid replacement and Jeff Hafley’s coaching staff should bring positive change.
Year one may be rough.
8 SYRACUSE ORANGE Oct. 3 Syracuse (N.Y.)
Call me crazy, but I think Syracuse could surprise some people in 2020. The Orange are coming off a disastrous 5-7 season and they lose top rusher Moe Neal and top receiver Trishton Jackson as well as leading tackler Lakiem Williams and sack leader Brandon Berry. There will be a lot of new contributors but there are pieces in place.
Plus, having Dino Babers should pay dividends as I think he could be one of the better coaches in the ACC.
Tommy DeVito should have another solid season and he’ll have Taj Harris as a top weapon. That defense won’t do the Orange any favors, though.
7 WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS Nov. 14 Louisville (Ky.)
One of the bigger surprise teams in the ACC last season was Wake Forest and after a 7-1 start to the year, the Demon Deacons finished just 8-5 with a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Michigan State.
Jamie Newman decided to transfer to Georgia, leaving Sam Hartman in charge of the quarterback position and he’s shown that he’s fully capable of taking that next step as a sophomore starter. He passed for 830 yards and four touchdowns in limited time last season.
Louisville should win this one at home, but the Demon Deacons aren’t a team that can be overlooked.
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https://accsports.com/acc-news/ncaa-plans-for-extended-college-football-preseason/ (accsports.com; Geisinger)
In an effort to make up for lost spring practice time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA plans to extended the college football preseason.
According to Ralph Russo of The AP, the NCAA’s football oversight committee expects to have a plan in place by Thursday this week; the plan would allow for 12 unpadded walk-through practices. These would take place during the 14 days before the typical preseason begins in August.
Teams will be permitted up to 20 hours per week of what the NCAA calls countable athletically related activities during those extra two weeks, leading into a normal 29-day preseason practice schedule. The walk-throughs will be part of those 20 hours per week, along with weight training, conditioning, film study and meetings
Next week the plan will go to the Division I Council for approval — set to meet June 17.
Programs started to bring players back to campuses this week; as a result, some players have tested positive for the coronavirus. Player will continue to be screened and tested for COVID-19. This voluntary period, under the oversight committee’s plan, will last until around July 12. After which, two weeks of “summer access” will commence. During this period, college coach can require eight hours per week of conditioning, weight lifting and film work.
Then, starting around July 24, meeting and walk-through practices will start up.
The plan for an extended college football preseason.https://t.co/zdsMrX5UMw
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) June 10, 2020
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VT transfer problem (RX; HM)
VT transfer problem
Virginia Tech has had a number of high-profile players enter the transfer portal since its inception. You expect to lose a few players every year - to be closer to their family, to get more playing time, etc. Some players have even been kicked off the team due to run-ins with the police and things like that... but the Hokies have lost more than their fair share to the portal. Why? In my opinion, the problem with VT transfers can be summed up in one sentence:
If you look at the players who have transferred out of the program since the transfer portal went into effect, it looks like this:
| Year | Player | Rating | Pos | To where |
| 2020 | Jeremy Webb | 4* | CB | ??? |
| 2019 | Bryce Watts | 3* | CB | North Carolina |
| 2019 | D.J. Crossen | CB | NW Miss. Jr College | |
| 2019 | Cam Goode | 3* | DT | UCF |
| 2019 | Darius Fullwood | 3* | DT | William & Mary |
| 2020 | Robert Porcher IV | 3* | DT | N. Carolina A&T |
| 2019 | Daniel Bailey | - | DT | ??? |
| 2019 | Josh Jackson | 3* | DUAL | Maryland |
| 2019 | Aundre Kearney | 3* | ILB | UCF |
| 2019 | Jordan Stout | K | Penn State | |
| 2020 | Joe Kane | 3* | OC | Elon |
| 2020 | Louis Mihota | - | OC | Saint Francis (PA) |
| 2020 | John Harris | 3* | OG | Mercer |
| 2019 | D'Andre Plantin | 3* | OT | North Texas |
| 2020 | Caleb Steward | 3* | RB | ??? |
| 2020 | Khalil Ladler | 3* | S | Louisiana Tech |
| 2019 | Devante Smith | - | S | Coffeyville C.C. |
| 2020 | Houshun Gaines | 3* | SDE | ??? |
| 2019 | Chris Cunningham | 3* | TE | Old Dominion |
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Classic Boston College OOC Wins on YouTube (RX; HM)
Classic Boston College OOC Wins on YouTube
If you hate BC, this is not for you. If you love BC - or just want to see evidence that they have won some pretty big games over the years - you'll enjoy these videos from the archives, including Eagle victories over '84 Alabama, '86 Georgia, '92 Penn State, '03 Notre Dame, '04 West Virginia, and '14 USC.
Boston College vs Alabama '84
1986 Hall of Fame Bowl:
Boston College vs Georgia
1986 Hall of Fame Bowl: BC vs Georgia
Boston College vs. Georgia in the 1986 Hall of Fame Bowl
youtu.be
Boston College vs Penn State '92
Boston College vs Penn State '92
Boston College football vs Penn State from 1992Video courtesy of ABC.
youtu.be
Boston College vs. Notre Dame '03
Boston College Football vs. Notre Dame '03
BC vs Notre Dame from 2003.Video courtesy of ABC Sports.
youtu.be
Boston College vs West Virginia '04
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Other
Turning Stone patrons lined up early in the morning for the casino's June 10 reopening, after the Covid-19 shutdown. Video by Katrina Tulloch.
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