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Are SEC coaches ready to endorse Derek Dooley with positives of over-signing?

12:11 pm March 14, 2012, by Michael Carvell

Can I get a second? Are any SEC coaches ready to publicy endorse the Derek Dooley

Can I get a second? Are any SEC coaches ready to publicy endorse Derek Dooley's outspoken belief that over-signing is good for student-athletes? We asked a few and ... (AP)

Last month, Derek Dooley blasted the SEC’s new “roster management” rules to address over-signing.

Summary: The attorney-turned-football coach at Tennessee made a heck of an argument that you can read here. Dooley said “over-signing is good for the student-athlete” and claimed “98 percent of the time” it benefitted recruits. He also said the SEC’s head coaches (himself included) “failed” to communicate the positives of over-signing to the media and general public.

Was the leader of the Big Orange Nation correct?

We thought Dooley made some points worth asking around about. After all, if you remember, the SEC coaches voted 12-0 against the new rules last spring before they were bulldozed by their bosses, the school presidents.

Who wanted to sign a petition in favor of over-signing? We interviewed a few of his SEC contemporaries, explained DD’s talking points, and asked if they were ready to give him a public endorsement or sign a petition that we’d start for him:

  • UGA’s Mark Richt: “I don’t want to get into that discussion [about what Dooley said]. It really is a moot point. It doesn’t matter. We know what the rules are now, so let’s go by them and get after it.”
  • Kentucky’s Joker Phillips: “I know of some positives with over-signing. But you had a couple of negative things that happened. And those negative things happened to 18-year-olds. It didn’t happen to us coaches. The thing the school presidents got upset about were happening to 18-year-old kids. It was not their fault, you know? When college coaches negatively affect the lives a couple of 18-year-olds … that’s why it was blown up because of who it was. It was happening to kids, therefore it became a big deal. I agree [with Dooley] and I really liked the old rules. But I’ve been in the Big Ten, too, where you could only sign the number that you had … not 25 in a year, but the number of scholarships you had available. We made that work there, and we’ll make the new SEC rules work here. The negatives come when you affect the lives of an 18-year-old. It gets blown up by everybody. And it should.”
  • Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin: “I would say this [in response to Dooley]: The over-signing issue gets back to so many things. It’s about how you handle it as a coach. Anything is dangerous if you don’t handle it the right way. If everything is handled upfront the right way … and it’s explained to a young man where he is in the pecking order and he has not qualified … then I agree some [with Dooley] … It’s the communication that comes along with over-signing or the lack of communication that can get you in trouble. It was never a problem for us at Houston and it won’t be a problem for us here … because all those issues will be communicated upfront with a player, his parents, and his coaches.”
  • Alabama’s Nick Saban: Saban hasn’t responded to the AJC’s interview requests but Dooley vouched for his mentor by saying “I know Nick Saban feels the same way I feel.” So we’ll take his word for it.

Would you sign the Derek Dooley petition in favor of over-signing?

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Now it’s YOUR turn. Are you ready to sign the Dooley petition? Why or why not? Please post your comments below.

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169 comments Add your comment

Da Rick

March 14th, 2012
12:46 pm

AJC, do some reserch and us an appropriate pic of Dooley at UT.

Dooley bashers, quit whining because he is smarter than you.

Every coach wants to oversign, the other coaches need to man up and tell the truth.

For those on here who think they know so much about coaching; the only thing you have ever coached is your toilet and that’s not often since most of you are constipated; take some exlax and release yourself.

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
12:50 pm

blackout…..milkdud? good one…I’m very relaxed and have always liked Bama…..I think what you put out is beyond a little smack talk…..Hey I have shown nothing but respect for Bama, and no one could possibly begin to argue with your historic success or compare with it…..just don’t care for your disrespect….you take it above and beyond….you seem intelligent, so i think you know better

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
12:56 pm

Good evening Bear…thanks for the good post from you as well….I’ve done all the criticizing I can handle for a while… Roll Tide and Go Dogs!!! I’m in full retreat…talk to you later….and you are right about Kirby….whatever perceived incident happened has been overblown, and those kind of things always occur in the coaching world…I mean that they get mis reported and given too much credit….kirby is a fine guy and coach and anyone would welcome the opportunity to talk to him

Whiskey Breath

March 14th, 2012
1:00 pm

Funny how you Ga people believe we have no right to bash Ga or the greatest Christian CMR.
I was born and raised in Atlanta. I have lived here all my life. My whole family went to Bama and I grew
up worshiping Bear Bryant. We Bama people will keep on bashing Ga and you will like it.

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
1:06 pm

bash away whiskey breath…..I grew up liking and respecting Coach bryant as well….always liked Alabama from the late 50s on……the bashing is cool and sometimes very entertaining

News | MrSEC

March 14th, 2012
1:35 pm

[...] voted last spring in favor of keeping oversigning as it was.  And even Phillips — if you read The AJC’s full piece right here — said that he really liked the old rules, even though he’s now ready to move on under [...]

Who got better deal out of Texas A&M joining SEC? Aggies or new rivals? | SEC Football

March 14th, 2012
1:40 pm

[...] Are SEC coaches ready to sign “Derek Dooley petition” in FAVOR of over-signing? Ummm [...]

Sancho Panza

March 14th, 2012
1:41 pm

The truth is this “bootlegger” columnist is nothing more than a tinfoil hat wearing “chicken little.” I mean he constantly runs around in circles blathering about the mythical dangers of “over-signing’”

The only thing duller than his sentence kernels would be his propensity to articulate a viable point of view from his muddled thoughts.

No wonder his colleagues refer to MC as the Don Quixote of the AJC.

I’m sure he’s charging another {oversigning} windmill this very afternoon…

Brown Dog

March 14th, 2012
1:50 pm

Nam Dog, thanks for your viewpoint. You are way outgunned.

Un-Tank

March 14th, 2012
2:11 pm

dawgface, you can’t just look at the results and assume you know the priorities. Richt cared about kids when he was winning championships and he cares about winning today even though he’s “impacting young people.” As far as I’m concerned, the only question that remains regarding Richt is the same one I had when he started – does he have it between the ears on game day? Been trying to figure that one out for 11 years, now.

Athens Tider

March 14th, 2012
2:29 pm

@Blackoutanyone? at 12:37… Not wanting to be picky, but I think you have your decimal point in the wrong place. Also, I mostly agree with what you say, but I do wish these discussions were more civil.

The Grinch

March 14th, 2012
2:29 pm

Whiskey Breath
March 14th, 2012
1:00 pm

There’s the difference. Richt is, indeed, a good Christian and he worships God and Christ. You, on the other hand, worship a dead football coach. You are part of a peculiar breed.

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
2:32 pm

Dig in nam… I think originally I mistook you for dawgnbham or something like that. For every good old guy like u and dawgster there are 20 Grinches and Lakedawgs. I really dont take any of this serious and its certainly not intended as such. Strictly entertainment. Many of these subjects have been rehashed so many times an adult conversation is no longer possible. It’s all in fun. Bama and UGA are not natural rivals so I find myself pulling for the dawgs more so than not. BTW if u served…. I appreciate the sacrifices you made.

A-Ville Ranger

March 14th, 2012
2:35 pm

Dooley is a bit of a fool for Lil’ Nicky. I wonder if he understands how Saban was abusing the lack of controls ?

Dean

March 14th, 2012
2:44 pm

Bear, as for Kirby coming back to UGA as a head coach. I’d welcome him back as I don’t think he slighted us. But, I would only really want him back if he proved himself a capable head coach. Much like Parcell’s, Saban’s assistants haven’t done much to impress me. I think the SEC has come way too far now to have on the job training for new hires. I think that’s the one thing that scares us the most about moving on from Richt. Who do you get that’s really any better? It’s a huge gamble and if you make a bad hire it can set you back decades. Thanks for the football talk without all the slamming. Nice to see a little football talk on here without all the hatred. As I’ve said before, all the respect for Saban and Bama’s past. I’m a Dawg thick and thin. Keep it classy and remember who are rivals are. We’ve always had a freindly rivalry. Let’s keep it that way.

Alphare

March 14th, 2012
2:46 pm

If it does 98% good to kids, why not?

Can any UGA fans name anything that is 98% positive? is a UGA degree 98% positive considering you can get a better education from either Tech or Emory?

The General Feeling

March 14th, 2012
2:47 pm

Pay attention, Mutt fans:

“After all, if you remember, the SEC coaches voted 12-0 against the new rules last spring before they were bulldozed by their bosses, the school presidents.”

So what part of this statement of facts are YOU having trouble understanding?

Geez, no wonder smoking weed is so popular with the UGA players.

The Grinch

March 14th, 2012
2:50 pm

The General Feeling
March 14th, 2012
2:47 pm

Wow, you must be a UT fan. Things still kind of sour in Knoxville?

Lakedawg

March 14th, 2012
2:51 pm

Nam Dog==I have no respect for Bammer or Saban or their classless fan base either.

All these rules everyone is suffering under i caused by 2 coaches in league that have constantly “managed rosters”. Noww everyone pays the price and there is additional coming that probably goes to total of 80 and all signees for 4 year period count against the 80, with exceptions being NCAA approved medicals or discipline. Again all because of _______ ________.

Hope to see all these chest pounders in Athens September 2013, can recommend an excellent tailgate spot for them.

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
2:51 pm

Point taken

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
2:58 pm

Lakedawg… How was your lunch? Are you doing ok today? I enjoyed your latest moronic…oops intellectual comment regarding oversigning at 2:51. So how are the kids? Plan to attend any UGA games this year? Golly I hope we get the chance to play you guys in Atlanta. Roll Tide my good friend. May god bless your family and all things Georgia Bulldog.

The Grinch

March 14th, 2012
2:59 pm

Dean
March 14th, 2012
2:44 pm

I completely agree with your concerns about who we could attract that would be better than Richt. History lesson:

Dooley retires after 25 seasons. I remember hearing talk of Terry Donahue of UCLA being interested, Dan Reeves would be interested, blah blah blah. All big names were being tossed about and who did we get? Goff!!!! The guy had never even been an OC or DC. We know the results of his magic.

So we move from Goff and big names were, again, being thrown around. Who did we originally get? Glen Mason of Kansas. Kansas? Geez. Then I’m watching UGA play in some impressive bowl on Christmas Day or something like that when I hear that Mason has had a change of heart. We got dissed by Mason?!?!?!?!?!?! We finally settle on Donnan, a D-1 coach.

After Donnan was shown the door we got Richt and I remember the uproar from many UGA fans saying we should have gotten someone with a better record and all that.

The moral of the story is that the “elite” coaches have never quite come to UGA kicking down the door wanting the HC job. We may not like that fact, but it’s the truth.

maharajiean shorts

March 14th, 2012
3:02 pm

What’s up with that finger? Is that how many wins he is going to have next year?

David C

March 14th, 2012
3:08 pm

Biggest Issue I have is none of the other BCS Conferences have a rule like this. So it puts the SEC at a disadvantage when recruiting. Plain and Simple.

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
3:16 pm

My dear good buddy Grinch….. I take exception with your comment at 2:59 “elite coaches never come to UGA”. No wait I agree with you. In reality I think you have to do a pathetic overall job at a place like UGA to NOT win 10+ games and be in serious contention for the national title EVERY year. UGA has everything needed to be an elite program…. except the coach. That is of course just my humble opinion and not intended to inflict any ill feelings on you sir. I hope you have a wonderful day.

ElvinBishopBand

March 14th, 2012
3:24 pm

You cry so well lakepuppy. I would guess you’re about 35 or less. Beating UGA isn’t anything to pound your chest since everybody else has beaten you clowns. Go look at your sugar bowl trophy for beating that powerful Hawaii…When Nick and Bama come to Athens in 2013 (unless you can get the game changed) he will beat the living sheet out of you and no mercy rule this time. 31-0 zip with your #1 mouth team (as usual).

The Bear

March 14th, 2012
3:53 pm

@Dean that is a very good point. How does a school know who to hire? Bama brought that Bozo Mike Price in there, looking at him and probably interviewing him, the committee never once thought he would turn out to be a social butterfly and frequent strip club groupie. Going after a coordinator is a crap shoot at best, Muschamp is a work in progress at Florida. Time will only tell how good he is going to be. Alabama was in the right place at the right time with Saban. Luckily Saban had the experience of numerous different levels of coaching in his background.

Lakedawg

March 14th, 2012
4:03 pm

Thanks Blackout, that was real neighborly of you. Yes I attend all Dawgs regardless of where they are played.

Not joking Bammer will be playing in Athens in 2013.

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
4:32 pm

Dear Lakedawg…. Bammer vs Georiga in Athens in 2013? Wow that is super exciting though I would suspect highly unlikely as the SEC has yet to release the new schedules for the years 2013 and beyond. But we shall see. Will you be wearing black attire for the game or traditional UGA colors? I love when you call my state Bammer. Your so funny. Have a wonderful day… may all your wildest dreams come true.

WnE

March 14th, 2012
4:33 pm

re:
Biggest Issue I have is none of the other BCS Conferences have a rule like this. So it puts the SEC at a disadvantage when recruiting. Plain and Simple.
____________________

The other conferences, the Pac-12, the B1G-TEN, and the Big-XII an d the ACC have NO REASON for a rule like that because, they have NEVER OVER-SIGNED.

B1G-TEN Presidents won’t allow it, and even Free Shoes in the ACC has never done it “intentionally” like the SEC has.

When NINE members of your conference do this with regularity, then something is wrong.

If you factor in RSs, most College FB programs, have “legit openings” (before Spring Ball attrition) for about 18-19 signees on average EACH YEAR, some yrs. are more and some are less, but 19 is about the average.

At one point the SEC west was averaging 29 signees each Feb., USCe was averaging about 27 signees for a 4 yr .stretch.

Give that many extra signees to any other HC in any conference and those HCs will turn out great teams also, those EXTRA BODIES allow HCs to MINIMIZE Recruiting MISTAKES.

Imagine if your favorite NFL Team played in a division where the other 3 teams had 12 draft picks in rounds 1-7 each yr. while your team only had 7 draft picks, assuming no trades or compensation picks are added in, how well would your favorite NFL Team compete?

The SEC doesn’t necessarily have more genius HCs, they have had more players to sort through to minimize Recruiting mistakes and this allows more talented teams to be fielded, ergo more BCS Bowls & more MNCs.

Seamonkey

March 14th, 2012
5:04 pm

SEC teams can only field a team with 85 kids + 20 more as walk-ons. I can’t see this gross injustice that you described in your post.

Stanley In Marietta

March 14th, 2012
5:40 pm

please post another article. I’m tired of looking at Coach Dooley.

2,000 lbs of grade A b_tthurt

March 14th, 2012
5:44 pm

WnE, the depths of your ignorance are indeed profound: to state the main reason SEC teams dominate all other conferences is because of over signing is pure fiction and completely insane. NFL has plenty of practice squads, so don’t think for a minute that talent isn’t stockpiled and developed. What separates SEC schools is the amazing skills of athletes combined with superior coaching that maximizes the players’ abilities. Say what you want negatively about CNS, CMR, or Urban – those guys get great players AND coach them up.

AURules

March 14th, 2012
6:29 pm

Dooley’s trying to figure out new ways to cheat like his old man did at uga for years. He better start winning or ut will run him out of town next year after more beatdowns.

LakeDawg

March 14th, 2012
6:48 pm

I have a question. Who is sleazier, Saban or Petrino?

LakeDawg

March 14th, 2012
6:49 pm

D. Dooley learned that crap at Saban’ knee.

Tom Northern

March 14th, 2012
6:54 pm

The article is slanted as it omits 10-11 coaches. Most of the coaches were too concerned about being PC. I respect DD more than them.

Big Crimson 75

March 14th, 2012
7:03 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=mCDBFSIDFjU&feature=fvwp

Big Crimson 75

March 14th, 2012
7:17 pm

It’s a mauling folks, a mauling!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAxVHTRBvSc

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
7:28 pm

Hey Blackout, I just woke up here and can’t stop laughing at the born again blackout….you are very funny…keep it up….now that’s entertainment…thanks…….agree with you that UGA has everything it needs for a Coach to take it to the house….and it is past time someone did…Coach Richt knows this all too well and has himself under tremendous pressure to get it done…..lake, I appreciate the info and understand your stance on oversigning, but you wouldn’t let your company compete at such a corporate disadvantage……Coach Richt should have already gotten this national championship done…he knows it, Lakedawg knows it, Greg M. knows it…we all know it….just need to do it, and soon….keep it up blackout….too cool and very funny!!!

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
7:37 pm

Brown Dog….thanks…yeah, I’m a newby here….and though I enjoy it, reading and writing, I agree with you about being outgunned…and I am now in full retreat, laughing as I go….I think i or someone has awakened the really funny comedian that is blackout….I will now read just to catch his sarcastic, but measured just right, humor…now it’s fun…and I have always thought of Georgia and Alabama as allies and not enemies…nice to see that feeling is acyually still prevalen….hey Blackout….I meant sarcastic in a very good way….it can be used to obnoxious excess, but dished out in small occasional snippets, it can be used humorously for an extended period of time…and like I had already said, you seem intelligent ,interesting and thus entertaining about the football world….i’ll retreat now….keep up the good work all

The Bear

March 14th, 2012
7:56 pm

@Dog in Nam I enjoy your insight

Go Dogs
Roll Tide

Andy

March 14th, 2012
8:18 pm

First Saban could never do anything to please the Dawg fans after all they are the National Champs until they play their first game every year. Who was all those player that got dismissed from the team. Cummings, Marshall and whats his face.

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
8:24 pm

And I enjoy your perspective as well….thanks for the relaxing entertaining commentary on this subject so near and dear to all our hearts….Roll Tide and go Dogs!!

Dog in Nam

March 14th, 2012
8:24 pm

catch up andy

The Bear

March 14th, 2012
8:29 pm

What is the UGA fans vibe on the game against Missouri?

The Bear

March 14th, 2012
8:33 pm

I hope the Dogs send a warm welcome message to the Tigers and leave no prisoners!

Dawg48

March 14th, 2012
8:39 pm

Bear, some folks may be concerned about our secondary during the Mizzou game, but I’m not.
I think Swann or Mitchell will be better CB than B Smith. Sanders is the big loss. I do think we will get pressure on there QB fast enough to help the secondary. And they have no run game. And that’s SEC football. Along with Defense.

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
8:44 pm

Dear Lakedawg… I’m troubled to know that you choose not converse with me unless I hurl derogatory comments regarding your typically moronic posts. I have extened a hand of friendship for which you have slapped away. Will you not take my hand? Through our friendship I hope to share with you the feeling of a National Championship. I fear you will never know such joy as a Dawg fan. Also I wish to invite everyone to my trailer for boiled goobers and ice cream sandwiches.

Dawg in Nam… your kind words are touching to say the least. Roll Tide brother

Blackoutanyone?

March 14th, 2012
8:54 pm

Dawg48… hello old friend. I’m concerned with your inability to grasp the reality of the situation that is Georgia football. The outstanding young man who may or may not have beat his girlfriend and that other outstanding young man who may or may not have been driving with marijuana in his car will probably be suspended for the first quarter of the Buffalo Bulls game. The Bulls are a team that worries me and I think they should worry you too. Another concern I have is if history is any indication… these will not be the only two players suspended for that epic meeting of two football powers. Peace be with you.

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