Let's Catch up on Football

 It's been a while.  This has not been a great off-season.

The Portal opens on Friday, and in order to save next season, some heroic efforts are needed.  As happens every year--yet maybe a little more this year--the portal is clearing the roster out.  You can check the @thetalontribune spreadsheet on the left.  

We have lost 34 players to the portal alone.  We already needed help at every offensive position, especially the o-line, and if you review the players leaving, we need it even more.  And you still need a QB. In addition, there are holes on defense, particularly in the backfield.  

And more players could still leave.

Recruiting the portal is a vital skill today.  But you get the feeling they are going to have to hit on all of them to have a chance to be decent next year.

It helps to temper excitement about recruiting classes, since many of these players are leaving before ever playing a down.

BG hired the QB Coach to replace Partridge.  His name is Spencer McCourt.  Perhaps his career highlight was being Bryce Underwood's OC in high school,  a job he held for one season.  (And Underwood throws funny). He was a grad assistant for 3 years under Loeffler, was also a GA at Michigan and North Carolina State and QB Coach at Walsh.  The ability to be a "GA" for so long has only been met by Jinks LB Coach Benny Morrison.

On paper, this is a Jinksian hire.  While McCourt's commitment to postgraduate education is laudable, I would have thought we could have found someone with a stronger track record.

Prove me wrong, Spencer.

There's another issue, which is on the "soft side" as people say in business. There are some cultural issues in the program and all is not sunny inside the Sebo Center.  Perhaps it was to be expected given how fast things had to happen in January.  And losing always makes culture tougher.

Coach George is facing the same challenge Loeffler faced.  Create a roster with talent and rebuild the culture of the program.  Once there are only George guys in the locker room, it could improve, but it's far from a given. 

I know he knows that because he talked about it after every game.  Just like every other challenge, knowing it and accomplishing it are too different things.  He says "if you know me, you know I will figure it out."

Let's make it happen.