At this point, someone just send Texas' Steve Sarkisian a memo on any new rules | Bohls
While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:
When will the NCAA figure these things out?
1. Georgia's on Line 2: The NCAA Division I Council could soon adopt legislation for a new transfer rule that would allow all undergraduate athletes to transfer and play immediately if they meet specific academic requirements, ESPN reported Monday. The proposal the Council will consider in its next meeting April 17-18 wouldn’t limit the number of times an athlete can transfer but would retain the two transfer windows. However, athletes wouldn’t be able to transfer midyear and play for a second school in the same season, a ludicrous idea that’s been circulating for a while. Phew. Thank God. You think Pandora’s box has already been opened. Such a move would reshape the college game like forever. “So we’re going to get trades?” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian mused Tuesday when I asked if he could ever foresee midseason transfers. “What’s that going to look like? Hey, Kirby (Smart), I need a safety. I can give you a receiver. I mean how’s this going to work? I don’t know. At this point, just tell us what the rules are, and we’ll adapt to them and do the best we can. At this point, nothing surprises me. I think college football is at an all-time high, the interest level in it. I think it’s an awesome game right now.” One word of advice, Sark. Ask the Georgia coach for a defensive lineman. Maybe another receiver. The last one Texas got worked out OK.
More: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers likes the first impressions of his new receivers | Golden
T'Vondre Sweat is hurting his own NFL draft stock
2. Oh, T’Vondre: The news that former Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat was arrested for driving while intoxicated had to hit Longhorn Nation hard. The 22-year-old Outland Trophy winner obviously did himself no favors with the draft approaching this month. NFL pundits have also criticized him for his ballooning 366-pound weight and will only add to question marks about his career and ability to play every down, unfortunately. "Teams I've spoken with were already concerned about his weight and work ethic," said Lance Zierlein of NFL Draft.com. "Now you add this level of poor decision-making and immaturity, and I've had teams say he has no chance of going in the second round and will more likely be a fourth rounder than a third rounder. I could still see him going inside the top 100 because he's so good as a run stopper, but we'll see." When I asked Sarkisian if he had talked to Sweat, the coach said he had. Will it hurt his draft stock? “We’ll see,” Sark said. … Sark raved about cornerback Malik Muhammad’s progress. “He’s had a very good spring, and he’s been a guy that plays very confidently right now. He’s really got a much better understanding schematically. One thing he has is play-making ability, and when he sees things unfolding, he goes for it and that allows him to get his hands on the ball. He had a great interception today.” … He also said Jelani McDonald has made “tremendous strides” at safety. “He’s very rangy. He’s very physical. He’s a good tackler.” Playing a lot of quarterback in high school helps his football IQ on the defensive side of the ball. Sark also praised the play of Clemson safety transfer Andrew Mukuba and the versatile Jaylon Guilbeau.
Huskies earned their one shining moment
3. Yes, UCan: Monday night's national championship game wasn’t even a game, really. I’ll take the Alabama-UConn tilt as the best of the NCAA Tournament, but Tennessee-Purdue was damn entertaining as well. … Doesn’t UConn have to be considered one of the all-time great teams now? After bludgeoning the field and winning six games by a record 140 points for an average margin of 23.3 points, these Huskies should be able to hold their own against the 1992 Duke team and some of those historically good UCLA and UNLV teams. UConn never trailed in a game in the second half. I’d probably rank the best teams ever as the 1990 UNLV team with Greg Anthony, Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon, 1982 North Carolina bunch with MJ, James Worthy and Sam Perkins, 1967 Lew Alcindor-led UCLA team, and 1992 Duke squad with Grant Hill and Christian Laettner (nice pass), and this UConn team.
This could be a nice fit for both Calipari and Arkansas
4. Change of scenery: Good for you, Cal. I feel certain John Calipari’s going to enjoy life a lot more in Fayetteville. And you’ll be the only game in town. Come to think of it, you were the only game in town in Lexington, too, right? Sorry, Mark Stoops. I know you’ve greatly elevated that other sport in Kentucky. But if Kentucky was a be all, end all in football, you wouldn’t have, uh, flirted so much with Texas A&M. I think Scott Drew would be a terrible fit at Kentucky and might not be able to handle the Wildcat crush of fans. If Dan Hurley’s making $5 million, Kentucky should offer him $15 million and make him turn it down. Hey, it’s the SEC, the league that prints money in Greg Sankey’s basement.
More: Women's college basketball deserves even more exposure and attention | Bohls
Caitlin Clark absolutely belongs on the list of greats
5. You go, girl: A caller to the Adam Schein on Sports radio talk show Monday suggested Caitlin Clark doesn’t even deserve to be on the Mount Rushmore of women’s college basketball because she never won a championship. The host almost went apoplectic and nominated the man as the worst caller ever. Of course, Clark’s on there and No. 1 in my book. Have you seen her pass the ball? She lost in two finals, including Sunday when she had 30 points. Yeah, 30. Hey, I love Candace Parker and all those UConn greats from Diana Taurasi to Maya Moore. But Clark has changed the game, moved the needle. The way she shoots, the way she elevated the game, the electric way she passes are nothing short of spectacular. Another caller compared Clark to Larry Bird since he never won it all in college either. I truly do not understand all the hate directed at Clark. Hey, the best team won. Dawn Staley is the next Geno Auriemma. What she has done at South Carolina is equally amazing. But Clark made women's basketball more relevant and watchable than ever before. The title game drew 18.7 million viewers, more than any sporting event that wasn’t an NFL game, World Cup or Olympics. That’s powerful. Caitlin Clark for president. Nothing more needs to be said. In fact, I wish she had been in the Iowa primary. … Since I wasn’t working over the weekend, I wanted to weigh in on the final officiating call during the end of the Iowa-UConn game. I was probably like many who in the instant thought it was an all-time bad whistle. But after seeing it dozens of times, I’m convinced it was the proper call. A foul in the first seconds is still a foul in the final seconds. And to those who insist letting the players decide the outcome, they did. That was the definition of a moving screen and should have been called.
Texas women's basketball should be, gulp, even better
6. Women are on the rise: I’m betting Texas will lose a player in the transfer portal, but it’s gaining three big-time recruits, including 6-foot guard Jordan Lee, whom Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer says “will be a monster.” Justice Carlton, a 6-foot-1 forward, will contribute immediately in the front court and has an incredible work ethic. She tore her ACL last summer, was operated on by the Houston Rockets’ physician and was full-go inside of five months. … Texas will open the season against Michigan in Las Vegas on Nov. 4, will play at DePaul and will likely be matched up against Notre Dame, North Carolina State or Duke in the SEC-ACC Challenge. … Texas was rated No. 2 in ESPN’s early preseason rankings for women’s college basketball, behind only national champion South Carolina. When I asked Schaefer for his reaction, the Longhorns coach said, “Got to live it. It’s nice to be thought of in those terms. But we do have some unknowns.” Schaefer will go from the Big 12 frying pan into the fire pit that is the SEC. In those early Top 25 rankings, you’ll find five SEC teams to only four in the Big 12 with Iowa State ranked 10th. The SEC also has No. 7 LSU, No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 23 Alabama.
More: Who's next for Texas softball after its big win over OU? And where do the Longhorns now rank?
Keeping an eye on the arms
7. Pitching in distress: Seems like every day we hear of another major season-ending injury from a top-of-the-line pitcher. Some are blaming the pitch clock, which seems absurd. I tend to agree with those who say there’s just more stress on their arms and elbows from emphasizing high velocity and bigger spin. Ken Rosenthal and Eno Sarris wrote an article in March, citing one team physician's views on the trend of the sweeper and power change-up. "We're seeing all these tears in the lat and teres, all these tears of the previously reconstructed ligament, a lot more flexor-tendon tears," said Dr. Keith Meister of the Texas Rangers. "I can tell you it is a consequence of predominantly those two pitches — the sweeping slider and these hard movement change-ups.”
Where have you gone, Greg Davis?
8. Scattershooting: While wondering whatever happened to former Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis. ... A previous target, Lonnie Bennett, lives in Austin. Bennett, the first Black football player to score a touchdown for the Longhorns, was so respected and beloved that Darrell Royal used to loan his car to let Bennett take out recruits and invited him to visit President Lyndon Johnson when the library honored LBJ. Teammate Bob Tresch said Bennett came to Texas from Bonham “for an education above playing football.” Another teammate, Jay Arnold, says Bennett usually comes to the annual Lometa Fest barbecue with a dozen or more players, who teased the running back about bringing his wife Kay’s “giant banana pudding and told him OK, you can leave now, Lonnie. Tell Kay we appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, from the greatest seat in the world ...
9. On the couch: Enjoying “Apples Never Fall,” a Peacock series starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill, an unhappily married couple and a suspenseful tale that begins when the wife mysteriously disappears. Gave it six ducks.
And the Zags shall rule them all
Crazy prediction: Gonzaga will win next year’s men’s basketball championship.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: College football embraces the portal, but could it expand it?