College Football Week 1 Direct Draft from LSU-Clemson to Texas-Ohio State
Before Snap made some predictions through direct selection in Week 1, including LSU-Clemson, Alabama-Florida State and Texas-Ohio State.
Bowling Green – Eddie George's office overlooks Doyt Perry Stadium and has a jersey for the former bowling green player hanging from the wall.
Beyond the poster filled with signatures of former Heisman Trophy champions, there is little to show George’s place in the most unique fraternity of college football.
“I let others talk about my achievements,” George said.
George won the Heisman Trophy as an all-professional NFL in 1995, and he was a guard at Ohio State.
After four years at Tennessee State, he took over as Scot Loeffler, who left in late February to become the quarterback coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
But George’s popularity attracted school administrators who saw a unique backdrop that fits the sport’s ever-evolving nature.
“Just being a football coach is not enough,” said Derek van der Merwe, athletic director. “You have to be a leader. You have to be CEO. You have to know all the donor bases and alumni, faculty.”
After retiring from the NFL in 2006, George received his MBA from the Northwest, founded a construction company and operated on Broadway. He once played Billy Flynn in “Chicago”.
“It's all about preparing me for the role of head coaching,” George said.
The 51-year-old George eventually joined the coach in 2021, starting with a phone call from Tennessee President Glenda Glover.
George hopes to discuss financial issues. His wealth management company worked with Glover's grief. But she came up with another idea.
“She asked me to be the head coach and I got bunked up. I thought, 'What are you talking about? I don't have the desire to coach.' But she's very long-lasting.”
George already enjoys high-quality life in Nashville, manages the business and has the freedom to travel. Very few hours of work are as strong as coaches.
But if he doesn't give in, George will be worried about missing out on the opportunity.
“It's the question of when I got old and grey and looked back at my life, would I regret not taking this opportunity?” George said. “The answer is yes. I was like, 'Okay, maybe I'll see what happens.' Transparent
George was the latest news for former NFL players to take over football programs in historic black colleges and universities, a trend that began with Deion Sanders of Jackson State in 2020.
“It feels right to be in the locker room, talking to these people, being in a leadership position,” he said.
George's turnaround in Tennessee was not immediately. In his first three seasons, the Tigers were 15-18. But they broke last fall, making it to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2013. They entered the game with a 9-4 record.
It caught the attention of former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who led Bowling Green in 2001 and 2002.
Meyer met George for the first time in the 2006 BCS National Championship. He led the Florida facing Ohio State, where George attended his alma mater, but he knew the former ran with reputation.
“He is known for being the hardest-working guy in college and professional players,” Meyer said.
Meyer recommended him to Van der Merwe, emphasizing that George's connection to the state could also be a strong combination.
“If he's going to grind off and work hard, it's definitely a problem,” Meyer said.
Since Van der Merwe started leading Bowling Green’s athletic division three years ago, he has been relying on former coaches throughout the department’s searches. Meyer is no exception, making George the instant pick a few weeks before the Falcons began their spring practice.
“The city put him on the radar,” Van der Merwe said.
Meyer and former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, who encouraged him to advance within the NCAA’s I division division, inspired George.
George grew up in Philadelphia, but the move felt like a homecoming for four years between Columbus’s Buckeyes and other businesses.
He felt direct contact when he met with recruits and their families and donors.
“I don't have to do a lot of things to let people know about my background,” George said. “They kind of know what it is. They know I'm a man, what I've been through, who I am now, not just celebrities.”
The bigger mystery of Ohio State may be the flavor of George's team.
George's vision is to put them in their best form in the Troops, surpassing their opponents, in the A Gaps, the space between the center and the defender.
“That's how I see the team being built,” George said. “If you can control the middle in some ways, it's going to set everything else.”
It helped Tennessee announce it last year. Quarterback Draylen Ellis is one of 11 FBS passers with at least 3,000 yards in 2024.
Bowling Green also has experience behind center, adding former Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne as a transfer in April.
Pyne had 11 careers at Notre Dame in 2022, when he threw 2,021 yards and 22 touchdowns.
George noticed Pyne's record as a starter: 9-2, which included 4-1 against the ranked team.
“He won't be able to open his eyes against top-notch opponents,” George said.
The Falcons generally finished 6-2 at the Central Conference last season, with a 6-2 record of 7-6, and they took a game in September, facing two powerful conference teams in three weeks in Cincinnati and Louisville. They also host freelance events, a favorite to win American conferences.
The transfer pickup also includes George's son. Eriq George was one of five Tiger players following up with 57 tackles and 5.5 sacks at Tennessee State last season.
During four years of coaching, George found himself enjoying the process, building plans and growing players.
“I just like watching these kids, getting it, and then clicking and grabbing like wildfire and catching up, creating that momentum, seeing its own life, seeing men thriving and being a disciplined football team,” George said.
Joey Kaufman introduced Ohio State football to Columbus dispatch. Send him an email [email protected] And follow up Bruceky,,,,, Instagram and x More.