FOUR THINGS TO KNOW
Georgia deals with more ugly reports on culture under Kirby Smart
Georgia once again rules the nation as kings of the college football world. However, questions about the culture of Kirby Smart’s program surfaced this offseason following numerous off-field issues, including lengthy reports of multiple driving violations involving players. Another ugly report from the AJC surfaced recently with allegations of underage drinking and sexual assault stemming from Jamaal Jarrett’s visit to Athens.
Jarrett – a 4-star DL signee in Georgia’s 2023 recruiting class – was allegedly involved in an incident as a 16-year-old recruit that landed him in an Athens police station. The report also claims 11 players during Kirby Smart’s tenure as the team’s head coach have remained with the program despite women reporting violent encounters to the police, the university, or both. Saturday Down South’s Matt Hayes addressed the culture concerns facing Smart’s program and questions if the head coach has learned what it takes to fix a growing mess in Athens.
ESPN includes popular college football personalities in widespread layoffs
Friday was a rough day for the Worldwide Leader in Sports, as ESPN rolled out widespread layoffs at the end of June. Personalities in NBA, NFL and college football coverage were hit especially hard, including longtime College GameDay host and former Georgia star David Pollack. That move generated a particularly strong reaction on social media, while Pollack himself reflected positively on his time spent with the network via a personal video.
Gene Wojciechowski – another longtime piece of College GameDay with over 20 years at ESPN on his résumé – announced June 30 was also his final day with the network. He thanked everyone that trusted him to share their stories along the way. Paul Finebaum even spent time dissecting Friday’s news, calling it “the worst day” of his ESPN tenure and admitting the business aspect of the job “can be cruel.”
Urban Meyer reportedly appreciates rumored interest from college programs
Urban Meyer has been out of coaching since 2021, when his NFL stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars ended in disastrous fashion. And while it looks like Meyer is indeed done coaching for the foreseeable future, that did not stop the rumor mill from connecting the coach to a number of openings on the coaching carousel a season ago. For the time being, Meyer remains a part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff coverage, but he does reportedly appreciate the interest in his coaching abilities.
According to longtime Ohio State reporter Tim May, Meyer “takes some pride” in the ongoing interest in his coaching abilities. May also said during his appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show that Meyer “kind of laughs” at the speculation that is floated around at times. As for the prospects of Meyer coaching again, May doesn’t believe Meyer has an interest unless he can get his “whole old gang” back together, but most of that crew is content working with Ryan Day at Ohio State.
Kirk Herbstreit reveals favorite college coach he’s ever covered
Kirk Herbstreit has been around college football for a long time now, serving as a lead broadcaster for ESPN and key piece of College GameDay coverage. Over the course of his career, Herbstreit has rubbed shoulders with some of the best and most legendary coaches the sport has to offer, past and present. In a recent interview, Herbstreit admitted that Alabama head coach Nick Saban is probably his favorite coach he’s ever covered.
As for the reasoning behind his pick, Herbstreit said he’s “drawn” to Saban due to an old school nature and views the legendary coach as a teacher and mentor. Herbstreit also revealed he’s sought Saban’s advice for personal issues “because of how much his words mean to me.” While most fans are drawn to Nick Saban the coach, it sounds like Herbstreit is particularly fond of Nick Saban the man and the wisdom he possesses. |
