Irish Sports Daily

A recent story on BYU, head coach Bronco Mendenhall and the Mountain West Conference Media Day was a notebook with one item entitled ‘Not The Right Place.’

The item included Mendenhall’s thoughts on Manti Te’o not choosing to attend BYU. The entire Q&A on the Te’o situation, which was led by CBS Sports writer and long-time Notre Dame hater Dennis Dodd, can be found here.

Mendenhall said that he did not think that BYU was truly a player for Te’o in the end.

“I don't think very close,” he said of how close the Cougars came to signing him.

That’s fine.

Mendenhall went on to say that he did not believe that Te’o would have had a chance to start at BYU in 2009 and that the staff told him that.

“We had five senior linebackers and we said, ‘you probably won't start.’ You could call that not very good recruiting, or just being truthful.”

That too is fine. Hard to believe, but still fine.

But Mendenhall gets very close to crossing the line with some comments that could be seen as questioning Te’o’s faith.

“Usually when a young man who is LDS -- a member of our church -- has things presented as clearly as he had it presented to him and chooses not to come, there usually is a reason they don't want to come.”

Sure, there is always a reason when an LDS recruit does not choose BYU, but that does not mean anything other than they found somewhere else that they felt would be better. In an ESPN story back in Janurary, Te'o's father talked about Manti wanting to go somewhere different.

“BYU was a place that he felt like he's seen before and that he's lived all his life. He wanted to see the world, or in this case the United States, through a different lens... I don't think it was a search for glitz or glamour. I just think he just wants to be challenged... He told me he felt a little bit comfortable [at BYU]. That was the best way he could explain it.”

But Mendenhall alluded to the fact that Te’o did not select BYU because of the school’s strict Honor Code.

“It is usually not football-related. Manti chose a private institution with a religious background without truly the same semblance of rules,” he said.

I know very little about BYU’s Honor Code, but I do know that the rules at Notre Dame are very different and more strict than the vast majority of schools across the country. Maybe the comment has more to do with faith and I am not qualified to comment on that either, but it seems out of bounds to me.

Te’o obviously felt strongly enough about BYU to keep the Cougars up there with the likes of Notre Dame, USC and UCLA and according to his father in that same ESPN piece, Manti was very emotional when he told Mendenhall that he would not be signing with him.

“He came to tears with coach Bronco while talking to him on the phone because he felt like he was letting down a family member,” said Brian Te’o.

But there were obviously hurt feelings and shortly after Manti eliminated BYU, stories popped up about a possible Honor Code violation during his official visit. Te’o denied accusations that he was somehow involved.

I don’t know Mendenhall and I have no idea what happened - if anything – on Te’o’s official visit to Provo.

I have spoken with Te’o and his father a few times and I will not pretend to know either extremely well, but I can tell you that both are very sincere about their faith and being honest.

Mendenhall assumes that Te’o will not take a mission because he did not pick BYU. He said that of the 18 LDS kids that he has recruited that have not ended up at BYU, only one has gone on a mission.

“Once they go somewhere else, they are not going to go.”

As of now, Te’o is undecided as to whether he will go on a mission, but if I were him, I would find it insulting that a coach would think that his recruiting record would be an indicator of what my faith may or may not lead me to do.

When I heard about Mendenhall’s comments, I quickly thought about what Charlie Weis would have done in the same situation. I am almost positive that little more would have come out of the Notre Dame coach’s mouth than a quick, ‘He chose not to come here for whatever reason and we wish him luck.’

The item in the notebook was entitled ‘Not The Right Place’ as it applied to BYU and Te’o, but it could have used the same title to describe the media as Mendenhall’s place to criticize a recruit who chose to go elsewhere.

The Bobby Bowden era is coming to a close in Tallahassee. He has taken Florida State to the top of the college football world, and would like nothing more than to go out on top.

The recent academic fraud scandal did, however, issue a black mark to coach Bowden’s career and Florida State University as a whole.

Before turning the reigns over to announced successor, coach Jimbo Fisher, coach Bowden will lead the Seminoles onto the field at Doak Campbell Stadium for at least one more season.

Are the ‘Noles ready to finally turn the corner and be a consistent program? Will the ‘Noles be able to make a BCS run this year? Is coach Fisher the right man to take over for coach Bowden?

Current Season – 3

If redshirt junior incumbent quarterback Christian Ponder continues to progress, the ‘Noles might find themselves in BCS territory. Let’s face it; the ACC is not a top-heavy conference. Florida State is as talented as any team in the league. Getting over the top to win the league title will likely mean Ponder improving. Most notably, decreasing his 13 interceptions from last season.

Junior offensive guard Rodney Hudson is a future pro, while sophomore tailback Jermaine Thomas is a versatile runner that fits the traditional FSU tailback mold, but with a little added height and bulk (6-1, 190). Thomas averaged a whopping 7 yards per tote last season.

The one big difference from recent FSU teams as compared to the ones in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, big play threats at wide receiver. With off the field issues diminishing this year’s wide receiver depth chart, Ponder will need to utilize his tight ends and running backs within the passing game more than he did last season.

Defensively, the ‘Noles still get after it. Many key returnees will be back (keep in mind the suspensions, etc. from the academic scandal could shuffle the lineup a bit, at least early on in the season).

Florida State’s 2008 defense ranked fifteenth in the nation, and had the sixth best pass defense. Look for the ‘Noles to improve this year with the added experience.

If Florida State’s offense improves, there is a chance to be playing in a BCS game. The passing game is the biggest question mark.

Recruiting – 4

Landing E.J. Manuel in the class of 2008 bodes well for the Seminoles. He is the likely heir to Ponder. There are many redshirt freshman and true freshman that will compete for playing time.

For the ‘Noles to truly be happy about recent recruiting efforts, redshirt sophomore Bert Reed from Panama City needs to elevate his game to another level. Coach Bowden and his staff need a shifty wide receiver to break through and help Ponder. Reed provides the skill set to do just that.

Look for incoming freshman defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel to make an impact no later than 2010. After playing at Greenville, Fla., (Madison), McDaniel’s quickness and strength could be utilized immediately along the Seminole’s interior defensive line.

Moving forward, the Seminoles need to add two items to their recruiting efforts – more wide receiver talent and more players from southern Florida. Miami and Florida, Florida’s State’s two biggest recruiting rivals, are beating the Seminoles for top wide receivers and southern Florida recruits in general. That trend must change for FSU to get back on top.

Head Coach’s Ability – 3

Coach Bowden will go down as one of college football’s all-time wins leaders, due to being one of the greatest program managers in the history of college football, i.e. the ability to schmooze with recruits and their mommas, hire excellent assistant coaches and keep them, plus get the boosters to dump incredible amounts of money into facility support.

Nobody will truly know how good coach Fisher is until he takes over. The good news for Seminoles fans, he has been around the block. Stops at Auburn (1993-1998) and Louisiana State (2000-2006) before accepting a job in Tallahassee make coach Fisher an intriguing head coaching prospect.

Head Coach’s Stability – 3

Everyone knows who the next head coach will be. The questions are: when does the switch officially take place and is coach Fisher ready to take over the rudder?

These two questions not only make current Seminoles players a little nervous, but recruits and boosters ($$$) as well.

Administrative Support – 3

Florida State already upgraded its facilities during recent years. The biggest issue will be making sure every single rule is taken seriously moving forward. With the academic scandal almost over, future secondary violations would still bring back bad press from the academic scandal. The Seminoles can ill-afford that to happen (possible scholarship loses).

With such a wide-spread scandal happening directly under the Florida State administration’s nose, one needs to at least question the competence of those in charge.

Making sure that coach Fisher acquires the best assistant coaches for his staff will be another important issue to resolve. While many of the current Seminoles assistant coaches will likely stay, one good idea will be for coach Fisher to hire a fantastic recruiter that is knowledgeable and respected within the Miami Public School League. If the administration allows him a big check for such a coach, look out.

When the ‘Noles were annually a top three national program, many Miami Public League players sojourned to Tallahassee to play their college football. That trend ended in recent years. The reason? No current Seminoles assistant coach is a dominant Miami-area recruiter (Amatto used to be one the coaches that landed Miami players).

Overall – 64%

The Transition from Bowden to Fisher will take care of itself soon enough. In the mean time, Florida State could be a BCS contender and improve its overall roster talent.

It’s really hard to project what will happen with Florida State beyond this season. So many questions about coach Bowden’s successor and a great deal riding on the right arms of Ponder and Manuel, Florida State will be an interesting program to monitor for the next several years.

Will Florida State make another run at college football greatness in the near future? It’s certainly a possibility.

Each August a group of freshmen football players arrive at Notre Dame and don the gold helmet for the first time. It’s a major transition to the collegiate level, for sure, but for some more than others.

For the truly elite players, the transition takes place quickly.

Rocket Ismail, Derek Brown, Jeff Burris, Bobby Taylor, Autry Denson, Anthony Weaver, Victor Abiamiri, Julius Jones, and Brady Quinn are just some of the Irish players to make major impacts during their freshman seasons.

The 2009 recruiting class has a few possible impact freshman, and several more that should sit out the season and become fifth-year eligible in 2013 (the addition of Oklahoma and Arizona State to the schedule, allegedly, makes that an arduous slate – fifth-year seniors would certainly help).

The most likely candidates to redshirt should not be a big surprise. Linemen and non skill position players, in general, usually redshirt.

E.J. Banks, DB – Unless he is just an incredible special teams player, how is he going to earn playing time in a senior-laden secondary? An absolute lock to redshirt.

Alex Bullard, OG – Outside of injuries besieging the Irish trenches, Bullard will take the usual rout of sitting out a year and bulking up behind older, stronger, and more experienced offensive linemen. It would not be a surprise if Bullard played in 2010, however, due to his athleticism and raw talent.

Carlo Calabrese, MLB – Possible special teams performer, but more than likely he will sit out and wait his turn. The emergence of Toryan Smith this past spring all but assures Calabrese redshirts sans his potential special teams contribution being deemed to much to leave him on the bench this season.

Tyler Eifert, TE – Yes Notre Dame lacks bodies at tight end, but the talent of Kyle Rudolph and Mike Ragone at tight end, plus the use of James Aldridge and Steve Paskorz at fullback and/or H-Back means the Irish should be able to keep Eifert off the football field for the 2009 season.

Dan Fox, OLB – Fox should be classified as close to college ready, but not quite BCS-level ready. He’s roughly 220-pounds and adept in pass coverage, but pure strength to take on upperclassmen tight ends and offensive lineman one-on-one during running plays will likely be too much to ask of Fox. Fox has a shot to backup Darius Fleming in 2010 and possibly start in 2011 after Fleming graduates.

Jake Golic, TE – Much like Eifert, adding more size and strength will be a good idea this year instead of playing on Saturday afternoons. The aforementioned talent ahead of him at tight end and fullback likely means that there will not be a need for a freshman tight end to play in 2009.

Zach Martin, OT – This young man could possibly play, in large part because he played at Indianapolis (Bishop Chatard), where good coaching was present. Still, he’s not physically ready to compete against the upper echelon defensive linemen the Irish will face this season, such as the ones from Michigan, Michigan State, Southern California, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. Look for Martin to compete for playing time at either left or right tackle in 2010.

Theo Riddick, TB – The infamous “summer reports” about Riddick turning heads casts a smile upon the faces of many Notre Dame fans. Learning the nuances of pass blocking for the all-important Jimmy Clausen during an all-out blitz, well, do not count on Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis to be fond of that scenario. Freshman tailbacks almost always struggle with pass protection and blitz pickup. Riddick redshirts.

Tyler Stockton, DT – Quick and agile, Stockton could provide some help with pass rush. It certainly helps that he enrolled a semester early to play for Notre Dame. The issue will be the ability to hold up during running plays, where he struggled some during spring practice, as evidenced by numerous practice videos. It’s a matter of time for Stockton to be a major performer for the Irish, but he needs more time to physically mature.

Nick Tausch, K – Unless Brandon Walker digresses, there is no need for Tausch to play this season.

Roby Toma, WR – With Duval Kamara, Robby Parris, John Goodman, Deion Walker, and George West amongst a returning players looking to secure the third wide receiver position, Toma is destined to redshirt.

Ben Turk, P – With Eric Maust returning, redshirting Turk makes sense.

Chris Watt, OG – Watt sustained an injury (I forget exactly what it was) last winter. It would be difficult to play this season with entrenched offensive guards ahead of him anyway, but an injury negates lifting and conditioning. Even for a short time, that’s a huge disadvantage for an incoming freshman offensive lineman.

The following freshman will likely “strap’em up” this fall:

Jordan Cowart, LS – Yep, it’s quite possible. Braxton Cave is listed as the long snapper heading into fall camp, but Cowart is supposed to an excellent long snapper himself. Should be an interesting battle.

Shaquelle Evans, WR – The “primetime” player from this class, Evans brings not only bravado to Notre Dame Stadium but also a great deal of talent within his 200-plus pound frame. It would not be shocking if he saw reps as the no. 3 wide receiver this fall. He’s that good. The question is, will he pick up the playbook well enough to earn that spot or just see limited duty?

Zeke Motta, SS – Could be a linebacker long term, but Motta will seek playing time as a strong safety to begin his Notre Dame career. For this upcoming season, Motta should be a special teams regular.

Manti Te’o, LB – Finding the right position(s) for Te’o will be the leading question, not whether he hits the field. At a reported 240 pounds, Te’o’s athleticism and football instinct will be enough to earn major minutes this fall, if not start, at WLB or MLB. With Te’o’s foot speed, for obvious passing downs, he could play with the nickel and dime defenses.

Cierre Wood, TB – It’s possible that Wood waits behind a talented group of runners this fall, but he is also adept at catching the football in addition to toting it. Versatility works well with Notre Dame’s pro-style offense. Additionally, Wood could be a punt and/or kickoff returner. He’s quite elusive with the football in his hands. Wood reportedly bulked up to just over 215 pounds to be ready for this fall.

In his first year at Florida, Tim Tebow became a champion and a role model. In year two, he became a Heisman Trophy winner and a leader.

Somewhere along the way, Tebow’s celebrity grew from a famous football player to some sort of moral rockstar.

The biggest story down at SEC Media Day is the coach in the league who does not believe that Tebow is the conference’s best quarterback.

I should say the biggest story at SEC Media was the coach in the league who does not believe that Tebow is the conference’s best quarterback. Tebow changed that himself on Thursday when he openly answered a question that should have never been asked.

At an event that is supposed to be about previewing the upcoming football season, one reporter asked Tebow if he was “saving himself for marriage.”

Tebow was not shocked by the inquiry, although he should have been, and answered the question openly, “Yes, I am.”

The reporter and others who do not find the question to be out of bounds will point out that Tebow has been very vocal about his Christian faith and that since he was the one that made it an issue, the question is a fair one.

That is a valid argument, but Tebow is not a politician running for public office and he has not been the one who claimed himself to be perfect although others have.

It didn’t take long for Tebow’s career to spawn lists of Chuck Norris-like facts.

“Tim Tebow is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.”
“Tim Tebow doesn't wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.”
“Little known medical fact: Tim Tebow invented the Caesarean section when he bull-rushed his way out of his mother’s womb. He thought it was 4th down.”
“Tim Tebow can touch MC Hammer.”

Like anything in today’s society that gains admiration though, Tebow has also inspired haters that knock him for his lifestyle, his future in the NFL or anything else.

His latest claim is sure to highlight the different opinions that he draws, replacing stories about the circumcisions he performed while on spring break in the Philippines last year. There will be people who point to it as yet another example of an extraordinary young man while others will use it to mock him.

Even if you don't agree with Tebow’s beliefs or his lifestyle or believe his claims about abstinence, it is tough to ignore his importance as someone for young people to look up to.

Forget about whether you think the media overhypes him more than any athlete today or believe that his only position on the next level will be H-back and try to imagine being the father of a 10-year-old in Gainesville and finding a better role model. Now that would be impressive.