Fact or Fiction: Nick Saban is right about spring football being 'JV'
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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FACT OR FICTION: Jalen Milroe will be next Jalen Hurts at Alabama
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1. Nick Saban’s JV remarks are on the money.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Yes, many players will opt out of spring football and Nick Saban said it would be akin to JV football for conferences like the Big Ten and Pac-12, but he’s wrong. There is too much young talent in each conference for the product to be watered down like JV football is and it’s a bit of an insult to those young players.
For every Rashod Bateman at Minnesota who opts out, there is a young recruit ready to step in and become the next star. For the elite teams, it will hurt and maybe that’s Saban’s concern, but he’s had a ton of young players make an immediate impact in his college career, so he should know better.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Saban’s comments were not the most artful way to describe the situation, but I understand what he was saying and get the point: If any senior or junior with an NFL grade just opts out leading up to the college football season, then what are we left with? Definitely a product that is not nearly as good and a bunch of backup players, many of whom are freshmen and sophomores, filling roles they’re not ready for.
That’s not exactly JV football, since many of them are highly-skilled, but it adds an extra layer of risk into this season because preparation is everything. Look at Alabama’s roster: Easily, RB Najee Harris, WRs DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle, big chunks of the offensive line, one defensive end, three linebackers and half or more of the secondary could sit out and still probably have relatively high NFL grades. Saban could have worded his message differently but I understand – and agree – with what he’s saying.
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2. Jalen Mayfield will be a first-round pick out of Michigan.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I don’t see it. I know Jalen Mayfield is on at least one early list as a first-rounder after a solid season last year and very good games against Ohio State and Alabama, but missing this season will be tough. And it’s not his fault obviously. But as a one-year starter, Mayfield is still a question mark to some and he'll end up in round two or three with a pretty strong offensive tackle class set for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Gorney’s take: FACT. There is no guarantee Mayfield is going in the first round as Oregon’s Penei Sewell and Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood are probably the only near-locks at this point. For someone to be 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds and to be able to move like that, Mayfield has a shot to really impress at the combine and quickly move into that first-round discussion. Michigan has pumped out offensive linemen in recent years and NFL teams have noticed. Mayfield is no first-round lock, but if an unfinished product like Isaiah Wilson from Georgia is a first-rounder largely based on his massive size, then Mayfield has a really good shot.
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3. The 12-hour plan by the Big Ten is a good one.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. The Big Ten is going to allow teams to practice with players for 12 hours a week during the non-season and it’s a joke. If it is going to let the players practice, which makes no sense since the league claims safety as its reason to postpone the season, then it should allow 20 hours a week like usual so coaches can work on developing younger players since many will opt out of a spring season.
If you’re going to ruin the fall dreams of the players, at least give them the regular amount of practice time and coaching to truly improve. Let’s not treat the fall like spring practice.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. The Big Ten has bungled this from the very beginning and this is just another example. This plan makes no sense, is an arbitrary number just thrown out there seemingly to placate coaches and players, and continues to put Big Ten players and coaches at a huge disadvantage. If practicing for 12 hours is fine, then why not the normal 20 hours? If having thousands of students on campus is fine, then why not normal football routines and playing games? I don’t like the plan at all and I bet Big Ten coaches hate it even more.