Michigan lost defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to the Maryland head coaching job. Durkin’s defense ranked No. 2 in the country in S&P+, an excellent performance for a roster loaded with blue chips on any other roster.
Jim Harbaugh’s new defensive coordinator is one of the country’s biggest overachievers
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So Jim Harbaugh’s replacing him with the coach who built the country’s third-best defense, Northeastern veteran Don Brown from Boston College. Brown did it without a roster anywhere near as talented as Michigan’s; that’s not to say he’s a better coach than Durkin, rather that he should’ve been recognized as one of the country’s very best assistant coaches this year.
(And yes, suddenly skeptical Ohio State fan, BC ranked in the top 10 in all the big raw yardage metrics despite facing a third of the Playoff top nine.)
What makes the Brown system work? Lots of aggression, varying in degree from the line to the secondary. And who’s gonna replace Brown at BC?
BOWL STUFF. Bowl season started!
- The Celebration Bowl was a great game and an awesome idea.
- BYU nearly won the Sin City Holy War despite spotting Utah so many points, only DJ Khaled could explain it.
- App State is now 1-0 all-time in bowls, and you can’t tell its kicker nothing.
- New Mexico fell to Arizona despite the world enjoying the conga line option.
- LA Tech tore up Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl, but the main thing is this RB breaking records as his jersey fell apart.
- A 5-7 team won a bowl game. Whatever. Make more bowl games.
- WHAT? NORTH DAKOTA STATE IS IN THE FCS TITLE GAME AGAIN?
With the suspended Will Grier transferring from Florida, four-star QB Feleipe Franks is going to be one of the frontrunners for the job. Franks has huge tools and is enrolling early. But it looks like an incumbent or transfer might be the more likely 2016 starting option.
BYU hired Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, former LaVell Edwards fullback, to replace Bronco Mendenhall.
Harbaugh continued Michigan’s torrid run as four-star cornerback David Long decommitted from Stanford and named Michigan and Washington his co-leaders. No. 1 tight end Isaac Nauta also named Michigan as a finalist along with Alabama and Georgia.
Georgia Southern’s identity crisis continues, as the new head coach has already said he plans to build off the current offense, which is already not the offense GSU fans were raised on.
Robert Nkemdiche, last seen playing sax at Morgan Freeman’s blues club, is done playing college football.
Maryland’s new offense is gonna be pretty fun, in theory.
Baylor injuries: yes, everyone is injured.
Maryland had an up-and-down weekend. The Terrapins secured a commitment from four-star guard Richard Merritt, who tweeted that he is a “package deal” with fellow four-star lineman Juan Williams. However, the Terps suffered two decommitments and four-star linebacker Rashaun Smith eliminated Maryland due to “staff changes.”
Quarterback transfers are actually good for college football. The Solid Verbal podcasts about it.
Who is left for Ohio State to recruit on offense? Buckeyes fans would love a four-star receiver.
Boise State legend Kellen Moore finally took an NFL snap, and much of Idaho is now Cowboy country, apparently.
Wisconsin has had some success with smaller cornerbacks from South Florida, and it went to the well again in landing three-star Dontye Carrier-Williams.
Oregon seems to be pretty much finished with its 2016 recruiting class and is making sure to get a jump on 2017.
“Maryland’s 27-year-old punter got banned from Australian football for PEDs.”
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