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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1. Shane Beamer is the guy to right the ship at South Carolina.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I like Beamer as a coach and of course his father, Frank Beamer, is a legend at Virginia Tech. But he doesn’t have a ton of experience running programs and he hasn’t been more than a position coach for much of his career. That worries me. He’s learned under some great coaches and as the assistant to Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, you have to expect he’ll be ready, but the Gamecocks job is a challenge for sure and someone with more experience might have been a fit (Billy Napier, etc).
Gorney’s take: FACT. Beamer is young, he’s energetic, he’s liked, he’s coached on both sides of the ball, he has a Hall of Fame father and he’s also coached under many outstanding head coaches and learned from all of them. Plus, he’s coached at South Carolina before and understands what is expected there and how to get it done. Will Muschamp had previous head coaching experience and that was a train to nowhere.
The real question is what needs to be done to turn things around? Recruiting better playmakers has to be priority No. 1. South Carolina just does not have many receivers that scare anyone other than Shi Smith. They need to settle on a quarterback. The Gamecocks are not going to start beating Florida and Georgia immediately, but after those two teams, the SEC East is wide open for the taking.
2. Coastal Carolina should be in the playoff discussion.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I love that they played BYU and beat them and respect both teams for scheduling that game so quickly, but they still haven’t beaten anyone to make me think they would come within three touchdowns of a team like Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame or Ohio State. A Power Five schedule is still a big deal and while this is a great story, it’s not a legit one when it comes to playoff contention.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Nice story, but let’s get real. They will probably move up to the top dozen maybe in the College Football Playoff rankings but that’s about as far as Coastal Carolina could - or should - go. They beat BYU with a last-second tackle at the goal line. They’re just not big enough to compete with the Power Five schools in the top four, or maybe even the top 10.
That’s not a knock, either. What the Chanticleers have done this season has been amazing, I love that they scheduled the BYU game and I hope they get serious consideration for a New Year’s bowl.
3. Indiana's Tom Allen should be national coach of the year.
Farrell’s take: FACT. There are many good candidates, but the Indiana coach has done such an amazing job with the Hoosiers I have to give it to him. Brian Kelly, Dan Mullen and of course Luke Fickell deserve attention, but few teams play harder for their coach than Indiana does for Allen. He’s been amazing all season including in the win over Wisconsin without starter Michael Penix Jr.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. I love the job Allen has done. It’s great to see him on the sidelines and in the locker room and his team has done a phenomenal job this season. All the credit in the world to him.
But this might be Kelly’s best coaching job yet. The Irish were supposed to have no offense; they’ve scored 40 or more six times this year. Notre Dame also beat Clemson, and yes it was without Trevor Lawrence, but the Tigers’ offense was not the problem that night. Even with a loss in the ACC championship game, it’s expected the Irish will get into the playoff. That’s an amazing job by Kelly in every facet during an incredibly difficult year.
