Georgia Tech and the APR

Ok, I wasn't sure what to make of this article from CBS Sports but it appears that someone took the time to crunch numbers to identify the top and bottom academic progress schools for college football. Normally, this kind of stuff does little for me. If you read my last post (and you better have!), I was more jacked up about incoming freshmen being the size of Herman Munster than the idea of them being even halfway intelligent.

So after reading the article (READ IT!), I realized that I should appreciate Georgia Tech on more than just one front. Oh sure, football games are a blast, but there are far more important things!

For example, in the CBS Sports articles, Georgia Tech ranks as 4th in Academic Progress Rankings. Now these rankings are from 2003 - 2010 so we can thank both Paul Johnson AND Chan Gailey for getting their players to be good scholars as well as good athletes.

I also want to throw out a congrats to Clemson's Dabo Swinney. He is the top coach in the APR rankings. We all know that Clemson and Tech are not the closest of friends but I think we should extend a high five over the aisle and congratulate Clemson on being a quality academic program.

The ACC also wins for the conference with the best APR ranking. I would imagine having the number 1 and 4 coaches would help with that but it is impressive nonetheless.

Oh sure, there are a lot of people who think the APR is meaningless, kind of like preseason rankings, but who cares. If schools are doing their job and producing good scholars who happen to be good football players, then they are to be celebrated. Chances are if you don't like the APR, your team didn't get a good score.

God I Love College Football

If this doesn't get you stoked for the season, nothing will.

I especially like the 1:30 second mark and major props on the music choice!

2012 Recruiting News

Well, it has been a while since a post was made to this site and I think the lack of news has something to do with this. I don't think either Daron or I have any interest in covering the NCAA, Ohio State, USC, Tennessee or Auburn. Besides, all that news seems to show the negative aspects of college football and we want to simply bask in the glow of Saturdays.

So let's focus on some recruiting news. Georgia Tech has been on fire recently, picking up several commitments for the 2012 season. I visited the Rivals site to check out the players who have committed to the Flats.

1. Pat Gamble (DT)
2. Francis Kallon (DE)
3. Chase Roberts (OL)
4. Tyler Stargel (LB)
5. Junion Gnonkonde (DE)

You can check out the page on the Rivals site if you like (READ IT!). What I am impressed with is the attention to the Offensive and Defensive lines. In recent years, Tech has not seemed to address these lines with as much depth as fans would like. Chances are, the coaching staff know a lot more about the quality of players they have and the depth behind them, but it is good to see them attack these areas with the new class.

Another thing I like is the sizes of the players coming into the fold. The average height of these players is 6'5" with a starting weight of 250lbs. We are new drafting some good strong players and these are FRESHMEN!! I hope that these players enjoy their time at the Flats and that we enjoy watching them play.

More later!