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The National Media Days program brought our attention to the CCA on Wednesday, as the first day of the two-day event featured coaches and players from the Coast Division’s seven teams. As the day featured star quarterbacks and two highly touted teams who are set to be Clemson’s top challengers, some of the most notable titles came from new commissioner Jim Phillips.
Phillips kicked off ACC Football with the Commissioner’s Forum, a tradition that can serve many purposes depending on the conference and the commissioner, but can essentially serve as a “state of the union” with an opportunity. range of questions and answers for journalists. After going through an opening statement that highlights all the championships won in all of the many sports where the ACC compete and dominate, Phillips finally focused on the issue at hand – the next football season. university.
Unlike the SEC and the Big 12, the ACC is not yet ready to commit to deciding whether games will be postponed due to COVID protocol or be forfeited if a team does not meet the standards to play. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby delivered firm messages to their constituents, while Phillips said the league will wait a few weeks to gather more information on the current state of the spread of COVID before making a decision for the season.
He also pointed out that there will be no vaccine mandate in the ACC, instead allowing individual schools to make that decision, noting that seven schools have a COVID mandate to even be a student. So the starting point for the league is half of the conference having a 100% vaccination rate on the roster. Several other programs are “on the verge” of reaching an 85% vaccine threshold, Phillips said, but there would be no CCA decision requiring vaccinations to compete in 2021.
Phillips had a few line item type responses for name, image, and likeness (“we need federal legislation”), listening to criticism of the 12-team playoff proposal (players will be heard, but he wishes to have more discussions before deciding on a league consensus) and the future of Notre Dame with the ACC (“they know the interest of the ACC, it is less than shy” ), but Indianapolis’ ears surely twitched when he called for a closer look at the NCAA and his role in college sport.
“Now is a good time to have a full holistic review of the NCAA, the leadership, the structure, what do we want to do to move forward,” Phillips said. “There has been so much that has happened in our space here that now is the time. No predetermined outcome. Let’s take a look.”
He then highlighted the differences between the 351 schools in Division I and echoed the oft-repeated idea that there are more differences than similarities in the existing governance structure. Mark Emmert opened the door to these conversations with his own recent comments, and now Phillips joins his peers in calling for a rethink of the way business is done in big college sports.
Now let’s take a look at some other notable topics of conversation from Coastal Division Day.
D’Eriq King has a star quality to him
King grabbed the headlines as one of the first college football players to really capitalize on NIL, as the entire Miami (FL) football program seized the opportunities that will be presented to them in this news. time. He has been in college football for a long time and is an exceptional player, but his value from a marketing standpoint exceeds his game on the pitch. King looked awesome, gave a great insight into a player’s experience in this NIL era, and did a ton to reaffirm fans’ hope that he’ll be on the pitch when the Hurricanes open the 2021 season. against Alabama in Miami.
“I think the whole NIL thing, I think it’s really good for college football,” King said. “My thing was to work with good companies. You can’t work with everyone. You want to work with companies that match your core values. You don’t want to go out there and work with that company. , this business, this business My main goal is to help as many teammates as possible to earn whatever they can earn.
“Not all about me. I want to be with my teammates, so that these guys do as much as possible. Football is always the main thing. A lot of people worry about how it might affect your game. For us , I know the University of Miami, all my teammates, football is the main goal. We are not worried about the NIL thing. We just want to play football. Whenever we have time to deal with this kind of stuff, we’ll deal with that kind of stuff. ”
King’s suit had a great color and pattern, but only if you walked up to it or wondered – as ACC Network’s Wes Durham did – if you could see the custom lining inside the jacket as well.
Tar Heels are media darlings
On more than one occasion, Mack Brown has called the 2021 North Carolina soccer team a “media darling” for the ACC this season. Brown has shown Tar Heels fans the levels that can be achieved by the program before, and after an Orange Bowl appearance with one of college football’s best quarterbacks in the lead, he’s believed to be still at it. dawn of something special. But as Brown brought home the recognition of the heightened expectations, Sam Howell shared a glimpse of a team that “has a chip on its shoulder.”
While Howell takes up a lot of airspace as a star quarterback, any analysis of the Tar Heels’ 2021 conference title chances comes down to replacing the huge production hole left by the departures of running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter as well as wide receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome. Howell explained that skilled players ready to take advantage of this new opportunity feel like they’ve been overlooked for what their potential could be in the same offense that produced so many yards and scores in 2020.
Speaking of new qualifiers, Brown noted that one of the best attributes that transfer from Tennessee Ty Chandler brings to the running hall is the experience the team will need as the season opens. on a Friday night at Lane Stadium against Virginia Tech. Chandler has played in huge games against big teams, Brown said, and that gives coaches confidence in him when “Enter Sandman” is yelling and they need a running back who can keep the ball.
Virginia Tech wants “chemistry”
Justin Fuente knows it’s tough to replace a fullback like Khalil Herbert and production Hendon Hooker, but he’s excited about what the Hokies offense can do with Braxton Burmeister leading the series. Fuente said Burmeister is one of the best athletes on the team and can contribute to this running game, but what he’s really looking for is strong chemistry with the wide receptors. The message from the former offensive coordinator to the quarterback was clearly understood, as as the strength of Virginia Tech’s skill positions shift from running backs to wide receivers, Burmeister is focusing on how to be in tune with his wide receivers.
“Definitely becoming more comfortable with our receivers and building that chemistry, building the timing,” Burmeister said when asked what his biggest accent was for the offseason. “We’re throwing a lot of timing roads, a lot of fast exits, a lot of 10-yard exits. And we feel comfortable to really tear those outings and throw them hard and just be on time with the guys.”
It will be interesting to see how this attack unfolds as the offensive line has had a few solid options since last year, and Fuente is among the few ACC coaches to enter the season with real pressure to win in 2021. Good Sure, we’ll get a good look at how the entire Coastal Division is about to shake up when the Hokies host North Carolina in Week 1.
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