| Thursday, October 26, 2017 |
| Fisackerly a steady hand on the helm of Entergy and economic development | |
 | Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, Inc., doesn't care for being stuck in the office most of the time. As the head of the largest electric utility in the state with 447,000 customers in 45 counties, he thrives on being out to interact with employees and customers. For him, communications are far more than talking about how Entergy Mississippi is being innovative in developing advanced metering infrastructure and launching the state's first major utility-owned solar power project. It is about listening. "Communications isn't just telling our story, but listening," Fisackerly said. His first job after college was working for the Mississippi State Alumni Association traveling across the state. Then he got called by Bill LaForge (now president of Delta State University), who offered him a job in Sen. Thad Cochran's office. While in D.C., one of his roommates was Mayo Flynt, who is now head of AT&T Mississippi, and Fisackerly worked alongside Mark Keenum (now president of MSU), who at the time was also working for Cochran. |
| NMHS: OCH Regional could be 'Southern anchor' for system | |
 | North Mississippi Health Services laid out its vision for OCH Regional Medical Center at a public forum Wednesday night. "We believe OCH should be the destination for health care in the Golden Triangle area," said NMHS chief executive officer Shane Spees. "It should be the anchor for the southern part of North Mississippi." The Tupelo-based health system is one of two that have submitted proposals to the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to buy the Starkville hospital. Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Health Care will make its case at 5:30 p.m. today at the Greensboro Center in Starkville. Before negotiations begin in earnest, Oktibbeha County voters will go to the polls Nov. 7 to decide if the hospital should be sold. The sale has been opposed by the hospital's board of trustees, and the hospital's leadership has advocated for affiliation instead of a sale. |
| NMMC CEO: OCH can be southern anchor for system | |
 | Should North Mississippi Health Services purchase OCH Regional Medical Center, the system hopes to turn the currently county-owned hospital into its southern anchor facility. That was part of a presentation North Mississippi CEO Shane Spees shared with a few dozen people who attended a Wednesday evening informational forum at the Greensboro Center. Toward the end of his presentation, Spees shared some details of North Mississippi's vision for OCH in five years if it gains ownership of the hospital. He said OCH could be a "state-of-the-art facility" that solidifies the southern part of North Mississippi's service area and extends the system's reach into central Mississippi. "We believe OCH can and should be the regional referral center for the southern half of north Mississippi," Spees said. |
| Unemployment falls in Starkville, Oktibbeha County | |
 | Unemployment in Oktibbeha County fell for September to a preliminary 4.3 percent from the revised 5.0 percent in August, according to the latest data from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. The improvement in the preliminary numbers for the county signaled a 1 percent improvement year-over-year. Starkville's unemployment rate also saw substantial improve from 4.3 percent in August to the preliminary 3.6 percent in September. The city also saw unemployment fall year-over-year by 0.2 percent. The number of employed in Starkville jumped from August's total of 11,270 to 12,390 last month. The preliminary number of employed citizens in Oktibbeha County rose to 22,780 in September from 20,710 in August. |
| GSDP President and CEO Scott Maynard speaks at Kiwanis | |
| Greater Starkville Development Partnership President and CEO Scott Maynard spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Starkville on Tuesday, sharing his experience at the GSDP and some of the organization's current focuses. Maynard began his new role in July and said it is not much different from his role as director of the Career Center at Mississippi State University. He also served on the Starkville Board of Aldermen representing Ward 5. "I deal with businesses and companies everyday and I'm working to solve problems everyday, much so like what I did there," Maynard said. Maynard shared the creation story of the GSDP, which developed 16 years ago when the Chamber of Commerce, Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority, the Visitors and Convention Council and the Main Street Association combined forces to create one umbrella organization. "The partnership is more about the community," Maynard said. "We are bringing the community together, and the board has three areas they want to focus on in the next three years." |
| Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce hears from ERDC's new director | |
 | Vicksburg and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have a long relationship that has been going on longer than the U.S. Army's Engineer Research and Development Center, previously called the Waterways Experiment Station has been in the city, and ERDC's new director believes that relationship will be getting stronger. "Our histories are so intertwined. We are integrated in community and hope to be more so in the future," ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman said. Vicksburg, he said, "Is the biggest Corps of Engineer town in the world. It's ground zero for the Corps of Engineers, and it not just because the ERDC is here. You have a division of the corps of engineers here (the Mississippi Valley Division), district headquarters, (the Vicksburg District); and the Mississippi River Commission. You're the Mecca for engineers -- for Army engineers around the world." He said ERDC is also exploring expanding technology transfer to allow ERDC to make a bigger impact and be able to transfer its technology to the private sector. |
| Workforce training touted at MEC annual event | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant brought a clear and direct message to the Mississippi Economic Council's annual Hobnob event Wednesday. "I have two words for you: workforce training," Bryant proclaimed to the crowd of more than 1,200 at the Mississippi Coliseum. Most all of the state elected officials speaking at the MEC event echoed Bryant's statements, commenting on the importance workforce training has on the future progress of Mississippi. "An educated workforce is the backbone of Mississippi," said House Speaker Philip Gunn. "If Mississippi is going to prosper, we have to have an educated workforce. It is that simple." Several of the officials spoke of the large number of job openings that can be found at the Mississippi Works website -- more than 40,000. |
| Bryant, Reeves tout education improvement; Hood critical of Legislature | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves touted education improvements in the state at Hobnob 2017 while Attorney General Jim Hood took the Legislature to task for not approving a highway and bridge funding plan and other legislation. Hood renewed his criticism of inaction by the Legislature on approving a highway and bridge improvement funding plan. He was also critical of lawmakers for not approving a lottery for education and an internet sales tax bill. After Hood's speech, retired state Sen. Giles Ward said, "I think we just heard a political stump speech." There is speculation that Hood, a Democrat, and Reeves, a Republican, could square off in a race for governor in 2019. At the annual Hobnob event at the Mississippi Coliseum that brings business and political leaders together, Hood told business leaders that they have come with a road and bridge funding plan the last two years. |
| Governor presses for statewide vote on Mississippi flag | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant pushed the Legislature to put the state flag issue on a statewide ballot in 2018. Bryant, who has consistently said he believes Mississippians should choose whether to change the state flag, also said Wednesday at the Mississippi Economic Council's annual Hobnob that he supports a legislative proposal from Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, that would let Mississippi voters choose whether to raise the state's gasoline tax to provide more funding for roads and bridges. "I've always been a fan of direct democracy," Bryant told reporters after speaking to the state's top business leaders at the conference. "Let the people of the state of Mississippi speak with one voice on each of those important issues (state flag and gas tax)." Back on the conference floor, the notion of changing the state flag was pitched several times by longtime political pundits Andy Taggart and Jere Nash, garnering extended rounds of applause. |
| White House: Trump to declare opioid crisis a public health emergency | |
 | President Trump on Thursday will instruct the acting director of the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the opioid epidemic a public health emergency, White House officials said. It's a move that won't free up additional federal funding and is a more narrow option recommended by the president's opioid commission. The announcement has been months in the making and avoids declaring a more sweeping national emergency under the Stafford Act, which was one option the administration's opioid commission had previously recommended. The commission recommended either a public health emergency or a Stafford Act emergency. The Stafford Act "doesn't offer authority that is helpful here," a senior administration official said. "There has been some false reporting about this." |
| As G.O.P. Bends Toward Trump, Critics Either Give In or Give Up | |
 | Despite the fervor of President Trump's Republican opponents, the president's brand of hard-edge nationalism -- with its gut-level cultural appeals and hard lines on trade and immigration -- is taking root within his adopted party, and those uneasy with grievance politics are either giving in or giving up the fight. In some cases, the retirement of an anti-Trump Republican could actually improve the Republican Party's chance of retaining a seat. Senator Jeff Flake's decision on Tuesday to not seek re-election was greeted with quiet sighs of relief in a party anguished by his plunging approval ratings. But such short-term advantages mask a larger, even existential threat to traditional Republicans. The Grand Old Party risks a longer-term transformation into the Party of Trump. In Nevada and Mississippi, Senators Dean Heller and Roger Wicker have responded to Trump-inspired primary threats by taking steps to emphasize their fealty to Mr. Trump. |
| Roger Wicker Still Running, But Checking Right Flank | |
 | Sen. Roger Wicker on Wednesday said he is not contemplating retirement and plans to run for re-election in 2018. The Mississippi Republican and former chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee is said to be a top target of former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who is traveling the country trying to urge more far-right candidates to primary Senate GOP incumbents. Two of Wicker's GOP colleagues facing possibly tough primaries next year announced their retirements recently: Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona. Only eight Republican seats are up in 2018, while 23 Democratic ones are. In the meantime, Wicker seems to be making moves to show he's aware of the political environment. Wicker is one of the few GOP senators facing voters in what could be a tough 2018 landscape for incumbents. |
| Trump to allow states to expand drone use | |
| The Trump administration is allowing state and local governments to significantly expand their drone operations, a step that is intended to accelerate the integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. President Trump on Wednesday signed a presidential memorandum directing the Federal Aviation Administration to create a pilot program that allows localities to propose expanded drone operations that include flights over people, nighttime operations and flying beyond the visual line of sight -- all of which are currently prohibited. If approved, the FAA will grant the localities a waiver and use testing data from those operations to inform federal policymaking. |
| Trump sends Amazon a gift card: open skies to test drone package delivery | |
 | Donald Trump once predicted that Jeff Bezos and his Amazon empire would have "such problems" if he became president, but on Wednesday Trump gave the company a game-changing gift by opening up the skies to a drone pilot program for services like package delivery. Trump signed a memorandum that allows states, municipalities and tribal groups to test drones for a sweeping array of activities such as disaster response, mapping, agriculture -- and delivery of goods. Until now, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted drones from flying over people, operating at night or buzzing beyond the visual line-of-sight of the ground-based pilot. "America's skies are changing," said Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "Our aviation regulatory framework has not kept pace with this change." |
| UM adds four new out-of-state recruiters after dip in enrollment | |
 | The University of Mississippi has hired four new regional admissions counselors to recruit more out-of-state applicants after overall enrollment dipped slightly this fall. Director of admissions Whitman Smith said the cause for the drop in applications is unclear, but that this year, Ole Miss has brought on recruiters in Florida, Georgia and the Washington D.C./Virginia area and added an additional recruiter in Texas. Previously, the university only had employed one out-of-state recruiter, and they were based in Texas. Smith said these recruiters live in the area where they recruit. "Mississippi does not show a lot of potential growth in high school graduates over the next several years, so it just made sense to go to large population centers with more high school graduates," associate director of admissions Jody Lowe said. |
| USM brings back online Bachelor of Science in Nursing RN-BSN degree | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi has brought back an online program to help registered nurses and associate degree in nursing students get their bachelor's degree. The program, which had been available through the College of Nursing, was suspended a couple of years ago, but because of demand, it has been re-established with a revised curriculum. Administrators say the best part is nurses can start taking the course when it's convenient for them. "You can start the program in the spring, the summer or the fall semesters," said Kathleen Masters, interim dean of the College of Nursing. "It's one year in length if you go full time. There are three courses per semester. We offer them so that the student only takes two courses at a time because they are working nurses." |
| USM hosts second annual Social Justice Fair | |
| Several Hattiesburg service organizations and campus groups met with students at the University of Southern Mississippi's second annual Social Justice Fair. Groups like the NAACP, Habitat for Humanity, the Eagle's Nest Food Pantry and the Edwards Street Fellowship Center joined USM's Office of Sustainability to share information on getting involved. "It's all about social justice and people from the wider community and the campus community are here to explain their messages, their issues and educate people on how they can volunteer to help," said Melissa Olsen, sustainability coordinator with the Office of Sustainability. "I think this is a great way to introduce students to a few different clubs," said Raven Ferguson, a USM student and member of the Sustainability Advocates, a campus club. "There's a bunch of tables set up here and they can get information from all of them." |
| Pros and cons of state flag discussed in public conversation | |
| In an effort to foster a better understanding on the different opinions surrounding Mississippi's state flag, the Mississippi Humanities Council facilitated a discussion on the topic Monday. Mississippi Rep. Abe Hudson Jr., along with Rep. Dana Criswell and Delta State University Associate Professor of History Charles Westmoreland, spent more than an hour discussing the topic. The controversy surrounding the flag stems from the confederate battle emblem, which adorns the upper left quadrant, stirring debate on whether it symbolizes racism or preserves state heritage. Westmoreland emphasized that in order to understand the controversy surrounding the flag, one must be aware of the Confederate battle flag, which served as the national flag of the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865, as well as how the Confederate battle emblem became part of Mississippi's flag. |
| U. of Florida investigates Kappa Alpha Theta after hazing-related audio | |
 | A University of Florida sorority is under investigation after a profanity-filled audio recording surfaced in which two women talked of a hazing event that included excessive alcohol consumption, lap dances, sexual innuendo and racial overtones. The investigation of Kappa Alpha Theta began Wednesday morning shortly after the audio began circulating on social media and The Tab, a national college-oriented website. The UF Division of Student Affairs is investigating the matter, but no action has been taken against the sorority at this point, according to UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes. "Fraternity and sorority affairs is looking into it. Possibly the dean of students office, too, because of the hazing allegation," Sikes said. "I know this morning they weren't getting a whole lot of answers (from sorority members). They don't know if it's real or not real. That's the kind of thing they are trying to learn." |
| Tweets about gubernatorial candidate deleted from U. of Tennessee alumni Twitter account | |
 | A Twitter account associated with the University of Tennessee removed at least two tweets that could have been seen as an endorsement for Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd on Wednesday after a reporter asked about the tweets. The account, @TNAlumnus, the university's official alumni magazine account, wished Boyd, a 1979 UT graduate, a happy birthday and included the campaign's hashtag, #runwithrandy. The rest of the account's feed reads like any other alumni page would --- stories about notable alum and photos of UT greats like Phillip Fulmer and Peyton Manning and notable alumni like Dave Ramsey. But none of them are running for governor. UT spokesperson Gina Stafford said the university has reminded staff of the need to not promote candidates. |
| Historian discusses universities and slavery during UGA talk | |
 | Southern universities such as the University of Georgia weren't the only institutions of higher education with slaves and slave owners at the cores of their histories. Owning human beings was a fundamental part of higher education in colonial America and the post-revolutionary United States, historian Craig Steven Wilder told a crowd in the UGA Chapel on Tuesday. But universities are strikingly reluctant to acknowledge their legacies of slavery, or what they may owe to the descendants to the slaves that in one way or another helped build those universities, Wilder said. "They don't own it. They should, but they don't," he said. That's changing in some places, however, said Wilder, a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of the groundbreaking "Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery and the Troubled History of America's Universities." |
| Report of attempted armed robbery at U. of Arkansas ends up false, campus police say | |
| Police at the University of Arkansas say a report of an attempted armed robbery that prompted a campuswide alert turned out to be false. Officers with the University of Arkansas Police Department were called around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to a parking lot just south of Bud Walton Arena on campus, according to Capt. Matt Mills. Mills said authorities initially believed an armed person approached someone and brandished a gun. During an interview, police learned that the purported victim was an acquaintance of the individual and that no robbery actually took place. |
| U. of Kentucky bought more local food in 2016 than the year before | |
 | The University of Kentucky has increased the amount of local food it buys, even as it stopped including soft drinks and ice as "local" products. According to the UK Food Connection yearly report, UK's food provider, Aramark, bought $1.6 million from Kentucky farmers and food producers, compared to about $1.5 million the year before. Those make up about 18 percent of Aramark's total purchases. The Food Connection study breaks down purchases by whether they are mostly produced from Kentucky farmers or have some impact on local farms or businesses. Last year, Aramark bought $701,000 in meat products. About $95,000 came directly or mostly from Kentucky farms, $164,000 had some portion from Kentucky farms, and $442,000 had no local impact. The study's authors also reclassified about $1.2 million in products that they determined weren't Kentucky-sourced. The study includes John Conti Coffee, a Kentucky company, although coffee is not grown here. |
| Young touts achievements, announces initiatives in Texas A&M 'state of the university' address | |
 | Texas A&M President Michael K. Young announced Wednesday two new initiatives aimed at helping to accelerate the potential for future high-impact work done by faculty and students at the university during his State of the University address, in which he also delivered an assessment of the challenges and achievements of the past year. Young presented the address at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center to an audience of hundreds of faculty, staff and students. During the nearly hour-long presentation, Young covered a number of topics, including the university's handling of controversial events, student enrollment, A&M's participation in Hurricane Harvey-related rescue and recovery efforts and the creation of a new School of Innovation and the President's Excellence Fund. Young, who serves as the 25th president of A&M, said he believes the university is in a strong position with "tangible momentum" as it sets its eyes firmly on the future. |
| U. of Missouri System president declines students' request for fossil fuel divestment | |
 | In his speech at the Missouri Theatre in early October, environmentalist Bill McKibben recognized the Mizzou Energy Action Coalition as an example of how younger people are changing the world in the climate crisis. "Young people are doing most of the leading around the world," McKibben said. Since 2015, the coalition, a student environmental organization focused on divestment from fossil fuels, has worked to revitalize a fossil fuel divestment campaign at the University of Missouri. While the organization would like for the UM System to invest in renewable energy companies, its main objective is divestment. UM System leaders have refused. |
| Report criticizes public universities for catering to wealthy students | |
 | A majority of the country's top public universities have grown less accessible for the most financially strapped students since 1999 -- and at the same time, they have grown more accessible for wealthy students. More than half of selective public institutions, 54 percent, have reduced the share of students they enroll from families with incomes in the lowest 40 percent of earners, while also increasing the share of students they enroll from families that are among the country's top 20 percent of earners. Put differently, 217 out of 381 top public institutions enrolled a larger share of wealthy students even as they reduced their percentages of low-income students. That statistic is key to a provocative argument about dwindling access in a new report being released today by the left-leaning think tank New America. |
| Education Dept. officials debate partial debt relief for student borrowers | |
| Student borrowers have filed tens of thousands of additional applications for discharge of student debt since the Trump administration last updated Congress over the summer. But the Department of Education has yet to issue any new resolutions of those claims, known as borrower-defense applications. And while borrowers wait for a ruling on their claims, there is an ongoing debate within the department over whether it could grant partial relief to some applicants -- and on what basis it would determine the proper amount of relief for those borrowers. Borrowers are allowed to seek discharge of their federal student loans if they were misled by their college or university, or if the institution violated certain state laws. The option was little used before the collapse of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges chain in 2015 and ITT Tech in 2016. |
| What a Longtime JFK Scholar Expects From the Looming Document Release | |
 | The expected release on Thursday of more than 3,000 files about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has the public guessing what new information might be revealed. Will it lead to a new generation of conspiracy theories? That's a possibility posited recently in Politico by Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and Philip Shenon, a former Washington and foreign correspondent for The New York Times. At the same time, they and others cautioned, the large document dump probably won't lead scholars to any definitive new answers about whodunnit. Roger Riendeau a humanities professor at the University of Toronto, has studied the Kennedy assassination for nearly three decades. He's looking for subtler information in the new files and says he doesn't expect a bombshell that would lay to rest any great mysteries. |
| Supreme Court MAEP ruling could change legislative norms | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Nobody, not even former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, thought he would prevail in his lawsuit to try to force the Legislature to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program -- the mechanism used to provide state funding for the basic operation of local school districts. But in ruling against Musgrove last week, the Mississippi Supreme Court created some interesting dynamics for the Legislature. For instance, even the most back-benching freshman member of the Mississippi Legislatures knows that general law cannot be changed through appropriations bills that are passed annually to fund all aspects of state government." |
SPORTS
| Elgton Jenkins maturing at center for Bulldogs | |
| As Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald took the snap and shuffled to his right in a first-quarter possession against BYU, there was no doubt he had a clear path to the end zone: he could see his lead blocker several yards downfield looking for someone to hit. That lead blocker was Elgton Jenkins -- the same man that started the play by snapping the ball. Jenkins, now seven games into his first season as MSU's starting center, has flashed signs of brilliance such as that pulling ability that were unthinkable when he first started. He figures to continue as a pivotal of MSU's run game as the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) travel to Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1 SEC) at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field. "When you get more reps and get more experience, you're going to get better," Fitzgerald said. "The snaps were iffy at first, but that's to be expected. We worked on it a lot together, he's put in a lot of work: he comes in, he watches a lot of film to make sure he can lead the offensive line and tell guys what to do sometimes. |
| Texas A&M wanted Mississippi State's Montez Sweat to replace Myles Garrett | |
| Montez Sweat didn't need to be named SEC defensive lineman of the week after recording 1.5 sacks and seven tackles in Mississippi State's win against Kentucky to get Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin's attention. "Oh, we noticed him a lot since we recruited the heck out of him," Sumlin said Wednesday. "So we know a lot about him." Part of the Aggies' pitch when they recruited Sweat, who played at Co-Lin last season, included the idea of being the guy who replaces Myles Garrett, the first player chosen in the NFL Draft. "He's an explosive player," Sumlin said. "I was hoping he wouldn't hit his stride so early for them, but he has and we recognize that. He's only going to get better." |
| Ameshya Williams makes statement in Mississippi State women's basketball scrimmage | |
| Ameshya Williams is still getting used to being in the post-game spotlight. With Mississippi State women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer to her left to provide a reassuring presence and to offer prompting, Williams tackled questions from three members of the media for two minutes, 36 seconds Wednesday night. Following the session, Williams let out a sigh of relief similar to the one a student would let out after taking an end-of semester exam. While Williams might not relish the opportunity to talk to the media, she showed earlier in the evening she is primed to make a statement by leading all MSU players with 35 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the team's annual Maroon-White Scrimmage at Humphrey Coliseum. Williams, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward from Gulfport, was 8-for-13 from the field as a member of the Maroon team in two quarters against the White team. |
| Vic Schaefer concerned about inexperienced depth | |
| There's a lot to like about Mississippi State's women's basketball team this season. The Bulldogs return their top three scorers and nine letterwinners from a national runner-up squad that went 34-5 last year. But coach Vic Schafer is also tasked with replacing four experienced seniors with six players who didn't play a single second for him last season. "We're a long way from where we need to be but that's part of it," Schaefer said. "We've got some new kids -- four freshmen and a junior college player -- that are really trying to learn the speed of the game. A couple of those kids are going to have to play some meaningful minutes for us." Schaefer expects to switch up his starting lineup throughout the season in an effort to keep his five hottest players on the floor. |
| Chloe Bibby ready for chance at Mississippi State | |
| Chloe Bibby sounds like Vic Schaefer's kind of player. You need only watch the 6-foot-1 forward in one of the Mississippi State women's basketball team's practices to see she instinctively gravitates to the right spot and doesn't mind mixing it up in the paint or chasing a loose ball. But practices are different from games, especially when you're a freshman from Australia who is adjusting to the Division I game in the United States. Don't worry, though, because Jonathan Goodman, who has worked with Bibby for five years and who coached her with the Bendigo Braves of the South East Australian Basketball League, believes Bibby will fit in just fine. "Chloe knows how to win," Goodman said, "and she will find ways to compete to ensure she finds ways to win." |
| Why SEC schools spend big for outside help finding coaches | |
 | Two years ago, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity didn't like the idea of using a search firm to help him make a hire. He championed his school's internal human relations department and was proud he hadn't spent a dime on a search firm on the six coaching hires he had made as Georgia's AD. Less than a year later, McGarity made his biggest money hire yet: nabbing Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as the Georgia head football coach. His department shelled out $42,175 to Carr Sports Consulting. McGarity's change of thinking is emblematic of the way college athletics now work. Search firms have become an omnipresent force in the last decade-plus as more and more college administrators deem them a necessity despite criticism of their six-figure costs and actual effectiveness. |
| What to expect from Ross Bjork during Ole Miss' coaching search | |
| Ross Bjork is calm on this Tuesday afternoon in Oxford, but he's well aware of what lies ahead for Ole Miss' football program this next month or so. "I think a lot of things will be crystallized, is what we believe, both in terms of just the program off the field but also leadership. The next five-to-six weeks," Bjork told The Clarion-Ledger, "are going to be some defining moments for the program." Of course, Ole Miss still has to clear its NCAA hurdle. But it also has to decide on which coach will best lead the football team moving forward. This is the first time Bjork is leading a football coaching search, but he's been involved with two others previously in his career. Ole Miss sits at 3-4 overall with a home date against Arkansas awaiting Saturday (11 a.m., SEC Network). The Rebels' obvious issues are on the defensive side of the ball where they rank 115th of 130 FBS teams in total defense. |
| UK assistant coach explains yelling in Cats' locker room after loss at Mississippi State | |
| University of Kentucky tight ends coach Vince Marrow called his profanity-laced tirade in the locker room after the Wildcats' 45-7 loss at Mississippi State last Saturday simply "a heated moment." The visitor's locker room was on the other side of the wall from where Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops was holding his postgame news conference on Saturday. Marrow clearly could be heard yelling at several players, but it wasn't clear what the shouting was about nor whom the coach was addressing. The shouting caused a brief halt in Stoops' question-and-answer session. "Didn't know you guys were that close to the locker room, I can tell you that," Marrow said on Wednesday when asked about it. "If you've ever been in a football locker room, it was one of them deals. Love this team. Love our players." |
| UF's McElwain: Will share death threat details if situation 'becomes unmanageable' | |
| Florida coach Jim McElwain is still not willing to give any further details about his claims of death threats made to unspecified players and families, but said he will do so if the threats become unmanageable. "People who know me realize that I'm a real passionate guy," McElwain said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. "What I tell our people not to do is allow one or two misguided remarks get to you. The care I have and passion for these players, this university, the fact we have an unbelievable fan base, it's great. There's passion. When you go into that Swamp, it's something special and our guys feel it. McElwain was asked if he has any further details to provide. "When it becomes unmanageable, at that point," he said. |
| Ed Orgeron describes how he started trend of using a helicopter in recruiting | |
 | Next time a college football coach is seen circling a helicopter around a high school game that features a top recruit, you might be able to thank Ed Orgeron. With almost two weeks to go before LSU takes the field again it was little surprise Orgeron's appearance on the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference call started with little to do with either the Tigers or their next opponent in Alabama. Orgeron opened his segment of the call fielding a question about how he came up with the idea of using a helicopter in recruiting almost a decade ago while the recruiting coordinator under Lane Kiffin at Tennessee. Orgeron claims the idea was not intended to be impressive to the recruit, but rather a means of battling the traffic in the Atlanta area while trying to see multiple games on a Friday night. |
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