Rivals national recruiting analyst Ryan Wright has thoughts on Brent Key's hire at Georgia Tech, Deion Sanders' candidacy at USF and the absence of Alabama and Florida teams from Championship Week.
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MORE THREE-POINT STANCE: Coaching moves, Caleb Williams, East three-stars
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BRENT KEY IS THE RIGHT HIRE AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR GEORGIA TECH
Coaches such as Bobby Ross, George O’Leary, Chan Gailey and Paul Johnson showed that Georgia Tech can be a winning program. After six years of subpar football, the Yellow Jackets have hired Brent Key to right the proverbial ship.
There is something to be said for a former player returning to his alma mater. There is also something to be said for promoting from within as Key has been on the Georgia Tech staff for three years. For a decade earlier in his career, Key was on staff at UCF building recruiting ties in the region. Those efforts were further expanded during three seasons at Alabama.
Key knows the inner workings of the program and knows how to recruit the area. Are there “sexier” hires the Yellow Jackets could have gone after? Sure. But Key is the right person at the right time for Georgia Tech. He will reestablish a winning culture and give the program a baseline to improve on in the ACC.
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WOULD DEION SANDERS BE SUCCESSFUL AT SOUTH FLORIDA?
Setting the COVID year aside, all Deion Sanders has done at Jackson State is win. Over the past two seasons, Sanders has racked up a 22-2 record with a perfect 16-0 mark in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. Looking at recruiting, Sanders shocked the world landing the top-ranked player in the 2022 class, Travis Hunter. Hailing from Fort Myers (Fla.), if Sanders returned to the Sunshine State, USF's recruiting potential - both in the traditional sense and through the transfer portal - would rise through the roof.
A lot of top programs, especially Big Ten and ACC squads, don’t want to see Prime Time at USF. That thought has to hold true for Gus Malzahn and UCF, as well.
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ALABAMA, FLORIDA TEAMS SITTING OUT CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
After gutting through countless hours of offseason workouts, strength and conditioning sessions, in-season practices, and 12 regular season games, Power Five teams from the states of Alabama and Florida are in an unfamiliar position sitting out Championship Weekend. But fall into the trap of thinking that this weekend’s status is the beginning of a trend.
The Crimson Tide have been a mainstay in the SEC Championship Game, having played for the conference title in 12 of Nick Saban’s 16 years in Tuscaloosa. With challengers in the West resurfacing out of Baton Rouge and perhaps in Oxford, make no mistake, the West is Saban’s territory to roam. The Tide will return.
On the East side of the bracket, the Gators may have a way to go before being able to line up position to position with the Bulldogs, but if the 2023 class is any indication Florida will get there sooner than later. A reminder, Florida was in the title game in 2020.
In the ACC, a beast is regaining shape in Tallahassee. It is easy to say head coach Mike Norvell has turned the corner with the Seminoles in 2022 with a 9-3 record. The recruiting classes are improving along with the wins on the field. This team will be at Bank of America Stadium sooner than later.
The Hurricanes may not have had the season they desired, but the recruiting classes will help improve on-field results in the future. Miami has the eighth ranked 2023 class with three five-stars and 10 four-stars and is looking to add more. The old Miami teams were so loaded with talent position by position, they overwhelmed opponents. Mario Cristobal is rebuilding the program in the former image.
