BST garage. Let me know if anyone needs it

Thanks

KP is your daddy! Posting this on here so you troglodytes can see it because I’m sure you pop in on occasion

We are playing Florida st next year. Anyone look at what they are doing in the Transfer Portal??

They just got the number one Dback from Virginia. Plus 7 more from all over the country. They currently are rated the number one team in getting transfers. Not to mention a pretty good recruiting class.

Either Norvell is getting it done and his staff or FSU is pumping all kinda money into their football program.

For all the complaining and disappointment from all of us this year(me included)…we still had a 9 win season. Which if you take out last year would have been our best year in a long time. Congrats to the team on this win and getting to 9 wins on the year even if it wasn’t always pretty

My pick Ben Sauls. Just hoping he doesn't opt out for the draft this year.

The other 4 guys have a dress shirt and tie on. McAfee looks like he just woke up after a rough night last night.

Pat Narduzzi keeps pointing to NIL as college football's boogeyman, even when there's no sign it's true​

Dan Wetzel
Mon, December 26, 2022 at 6:29 PM EST

College football — or at least its reputation — is under assault right now. The main culprit, however, is not name, image and likeness deals, the transfer portal or supposed tampering of players on other rosters.

The biggest damage is being done by the sport’s coaches who, like a pack of rumor-mongering junior high kids, spread wild stories about its demise, most of which prove overinflated, if not patently false.

If it's not the fake news that’s hurting college football, it’s the fake outrage inspired by it.

The latest came last week when Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi went on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan and lamented the changing times, such as players sitting out bowl games to focus on their professional futures.

(No mention was made of the long-standing tradition of coaches bailing on bowl teams to take new jobs or some bowl directors making nearly $1 million a year to stage a single game or anything else like that, of course.)

Narduzzi then went on to discuss North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who decided to remain in Chapel Hill rather than enter the transfer portal and explore interest from other schools.

Previously, Carolina head coach Mack Brown said schools he refused to name had offered Maye “a whole lot of money” to transfer. Later, he acknowledged the “tampering” was done via agents and not any actual coaches and, as such, there was no way to prove or know the actual details.

Soon, social media was full of speculation of a $4 million offer, then a $5 million offer. Other coaches privately mocked such numbers as wildly out of line with market rates. Major athletic directors have noted there are only a handful, at most, of school collectives with $5 million total for the entire athletic department.

Still, it was like a game of telephone.

“I heard two schools [for] $5 million [each],” Narduzzi said.

Wait, now it was two schools?

He offered no other details and decried that schools were “tampering.”

It made, of course, little sense that a coach would have the intricate knowledge of private conversasions/negotiations involving other schools and another school’s player. This was triple hearsay, at best.

Regardless, the story spread, as did the panic among some media and fans who worry about the “wild, wild west” nature of the sport.

Maye soon dismissed the story to ESPN and acted bewildered why Narduzzi would weigh in at all.

"Those rumors weren't really reality," Maye told ESPN, adding, "Pitt's coach ended up putting that out there. I don't know what that was about."

So what happened?

“Some people were texting my high school coach about it,” Maye said. “That's mainly what happened, people reached out to some of my representatives and NIL media people … There was nothing to me or my family directly offered from any of these other schools. Nothing was said or offered to the Mayes."

"... Really, not that much went down," Maye continued. "There was speculation [that Maye might transfer] and an Instagram post [by Maye declaring he was staying at UNC] and a head coach [at another school] said turned down this amount of money that I'd never heard of.

“That's basically the gist."

So, basically nothing. No significant “tampering” — which as a concept isn’t even a bad thing. No massive offer. In fact, Maye instead agreed to a deal with North Carolina’s NIL collective for what its executive director told ESPN was a “a very, very fair amount.” In other words, the system worked.

Before the truth got out, though, another bit of damage to the sport was done. There is a sizable enough number of fans who think the game is in trouble because some coaches claim it is. The idea persists that there are unnamed and unknown programs out there, offering mass amounts of money to steal players from self-respecting institutions.

As a result, the entire sport is a disaster and there is no reason to even be a fan.

(Conversely, if the Narduzzi story was true, you could look at it as unbelievably great news that someone learned of multiple offers of $5 million to do the same job they just did, but that would require an entire rewiring of the sport’s mindset.)

Look, these coaches have lost a measure of control in the job. Players have more power and freedom. Building and maintaining a roster is no doubt more labor intensive.

There has been a disruption to business and, like it is in many industries, the old guard isn’t comfortable. So despite their ever-increasing salaries, they are up in their feelings and acting out.

Are there some players who transfer or pick a program due to an offer of more money (usually a moderate amount)? Sure. There has to be. After all, coaches switch jobs for that reason all the time. Is it an epidemic? Hardly. There are many reasons to change schools. Money is but one of them. And the transfer portal works both ways, after all. Even Pitt is adding a transfer quarterback for the second consecutive year.

If coaches have reasonable suggestions to improve an ever-changing world, amplifying these fabulous stories certainly doesn't help accomplish them. The wailing kills their credibility.

Where are these big offers, anyway? Last year, the big scandal was when star receiver Jordan Addison left Pitt for USC. The rumor mill claimed Addison was lured by a $3 million deal, discounting any interest in playing with a star quarterback (Caleb Williams) in an electric offense (Lincoln Riley’s) in a great city (Los Angeles).

Addison caught just 59 passes, so if the dollar figure had been true, it was a horrendous investment.

But was it true? If USC is so wealthy it paid $3 million for a single season from a single wide receiver then it should have at least that much to spread around for next year, too. Yet the Trojans signed just four top-100 recruits and have landed just one top 20 transfer, weak by their traditional standards.

NIL being out of control is a good narrative because it casts sympathy on supposedly upstanding, old-school coaches while cutting at the credibility and ethics of others.

Meanwhile, Mack Brown is aided by the story of his star quarterback so valuing his opportunity to play at UNC that he wouldn’t ever entertain these “whole lot of money” offers … and then got paid anyway.

Win. Win.

Has NIL changed college football? Sure. Is this a real problem? We’ll see, but nothing major has materialized yet, certainly not these overblown stories coaches are telling that do little but cut into the popularity of their own sport.

Pat Narduzzi keeps pointing to NIL as college football's boogeyman, even when there's no sign it's true

Coaches like Narduzzi choose to believe false rumors about tampering and multi-million dollar NIL offers because it feeds their phony outrage.

www.yahoo.com

Perhaps they unorthodox style will confound Bacot?

NM

How soon before we find out if Pitt will finish in the Top 25 for only the fit or or sixth time in the last 40years

We have a great start to the class of 2024. I think Whittington is going to be a beast and Day Day has that speed factor we always look for in a receiver. I like the thought of Wayne, Mumpfield and the much added speed. Think of a 4 receiver set with Wayne, Mumpfield, Day Day and Che. Now what I really want the rest of this class is another 4 star olineman or two and a back with Izzy like speed.

If these 6 things happen, the Steelers are in the playoffs:

This week:
1. NE over MIA (or a tie)
2. SEA over NYJ (or a tie)
3. PIT over BAL

Next week:
4. PIT over CLE
5. BUF over NE (or a tie)
6. NYJ over MIA (or a tie)

Those six games are literally the ONLY games that matter to the Steelers the rest of the season. No other game matters. If ANY of those six don't go the Steelers' way, they are out.

Note: With Tua back in concussion protocol, and Mike White cleared for the Jets.... the odds of MIA losing both games are higher now.

Note 2: The four games not involving the Steelers can also end in a tie, and that works for the Steelers too. As long as BOTH Miami games don't end in a tie, only one of them.

We are probably in some bracketology's. Long, long way to go but we'd only have to finish 10-7 with 5 left vs Lou, FSU, and BC. There would be a very doable path. Biggest game at The Pete since, I cant even remember. Big opportunity

Chris or Jim,

Any word if we are using this period for any official visits for portal candidates? My understanding is for transfers only correct??

Not the kind of results we all hoped for this season but Friday ranks right up there for most enjoyable PITT wins.

Up early to put pork/sauerkraut in the crockpot. Hope all have a happy and healthy 2023.

Hail to PITT.

Just wow were those great games last night. Those have to both be in the top 10 of all bowl games I have seen. I don’t know how Bennet will be as a pro but he is a very good college player. Stroud was impressive. Best part about last night was there will be no Big Ten National Champion this year!!!!

I just had to do it. One of the best live versions of this song.

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Anybody got one?

Boy did Michigan get screwed on the replay over turn off a td on that long pas in the second quarter.

They end up losing Harbaugh will be at his martyr best.

and it is. But yet we (most of us) have tomorrow off and there will be cool things to watch besides soap operas.

Just weird as this holiday season comes to a close. I hate when C and NYD falls on a Sunday though.

The convention this year, is January 8-10, @ the Charlotte Convention Center

are you team nick or team kedon?

and don't hold back - I want crazy rants, name killing, etc. hopefully we get someone threatening to come to go another poster's house for a fight.

begin!

What a great day to be a Panther! Two heart stopping wins and for a 62 year man that's not good but feels oh soooo good. Obviously this is a football board and we'll concentrate on the Sun Bowl but cannot ignore the basketball team's great win against UNC:

1. Yesterday morning I texted a buddy and said "What's more likely 2-0, 1-1, 0-2?" His reply "0-2" and let's face it the odds were not in our camp. Both teams were underdogs though I gave the bball team a better chance than the football team , because of all the players not playing.

2. It's eerie how both games were mirror images of each other. Struggled to stay in the game, scrapped to stay within distance, take the lead then really struggle to close it out but close it out they did. I haven't been a Capel fan but let's give him credit. He remade the roster and has a team that is mature, fun to watch, and 3-0 in the conference. Good for him and it's great to watch. Hopefully the fans come back to the Pete. Yesterday was a great start.

3. On to El-Paso. For a team depleted like Pitt was to play that kind of game really is a testament to the program. The win yesterday was a Program win When the defense loses 3 major players from each level (Cancey, Dennis, Hill) and still manages to get 5 turnovers against the #3 offense in the country says something about the depth of the roster. When your all ACC RB is out and his backup churns out yards like Hammond did it says something about your OL and the talent you have.

4. Kedon Slovis is a better thrower than Patti, I don't think there's any question about that. But to me yesterday's game shows me that Patti has something else. Call it Moxi, call it the will to win, call it whatever you want Patti made plays with his feet that SLovis woudn't have. He made plays after he had drops against him. He made plays after a terrible pick 6. That's fortitude that maybe Slovis lacked. I liked Slovis but I thought he was a little more robotic. Patti maybe has a little more passion.

5. The Pitt Defense made some subtle adjustments in the second half that really changed the tone of the game. In the first half, Pitt brought the blitz quite a bit and got roasted. Really let #1 pick out receivers who were running free, or broke contain and made plays. In the second half, Pitt played much more zone and forced the QB to stay in the pocket and make throws. Kudos to the staff for recognizing this.

6. Great games with great endings always have some form of human error, coaching blunders that make them memorable. This game was no different. From absolutely clueless calls by this ref crew like the non roughing the punter call, the non DPI on Wayne, the phantom DPI call that we got benefit of, the refusal to ever call holding on either team to the coaching blunders in the last minute of the game. The botched 4th down where a QB Sneak would have been much wiser choice, to the utilization of the time outs. Just an insane last two minutes.

7. And then Patti said "Hold my Beer" with a great sideline throw and catch to Wayne, whose drop at the goal line would have rendered this all moot to the Bub Means catch and the clutch run and of course Sauls, the same kicker who missed against Tenn, being money all day long. In 35 seconds you go from complete and utter misery to delirium. Just insanity. Had Patti not put on his Superman Cape we might be talking about the utter disaster of a loss but hey that's college football.

8. Let's give a shout out to the linebackers. Wiltz, Kamara, George all made some really big plays. They were great on every play but they made some game changing plays and DeShields recovering the muff on the kickoff.

9. Watching Wayne drop the beautifully executed play action pass was maybe the biggest shock of the day. I mean Wayne is extremely reliable. Maybe the wind had something to do with it but what a great call. For those of you complaining about Frank C. look at Time of Possession and yards and first downs. It's the perfect recipe for a game like this. We can always always quibble about this call and that but that game plan was very good. Even on the pick six had the throw been good there was some room there for a big play. Just like the screen to Carter who made the wrong cut, if he cuts inside he has a first down and his blockers ahead of him. Yes I hated the 4th down call but like I said over all very good game plan.

10. It's a pleasure listening to Nessler and Danielson call a game. Aside from botching up Brandon George's eligibility I thought they were well prepared and fair. Both pros who know the game. And they aren't afraid to question refs calls while some announcers tend to be a little more diplomatic, they told it like it was.

11. Look I don't know if Pitt gets ranked in the end. Frankly I don't care but I do know we finished 5-0 down the stretch. This team stayed the course, the coaches never lost the locker room and there are not 25 teams in the country better but I'm not objective. I'm very proud of this team and this program. Only a handful of programs in the country have won as many games as Pitt has in the past 2 years. That's a testament to coaching, recruiting and the players.

12. And to top it all off, got home from dinner and my girlfriend's alma mater the Boston University Terriers beat Harvard in OT in college hockey. A trifecta!!!! that's some kind of sports day.

This will be my last musings until next football season and what a way to end it. Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe New Year. Enjoy and Hail to Pitt!

Pitt82

Interesting. Stanford Hoops Coach Trish Van Devere thinks so. And my god, look at this girl from LSU she focused this on. Folks, I know we preach equality and such...but we also say "follow the science". Biology is a science. People are attracted to attractive people.

But your thoughts? I mean when you get down to it, the biggest female NIL deals are going to female athletes who can essentially be models or movie stars.

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