Assuming this is football only, but lol at s florida and the nice thing for Kansas is that with the departures and arrivals, they will still be dead last in the Big 12.

Login to view embedded media

Marc will interview one of the key analysts from Navigate analyst on how they project the Big 12 and other P5 Conferences will do in the coming years with future revenue projections.

Login to view embedded media

David Gibbs is coaching the group:

Corey Thornton (14)
Davonte Brown (7)
Divaad Wilson (9)
Brandon Adams (31)
Philjae Bien-Aime (46)
Justin Hodges (12)
Marco Domio (0)
Ah'Mare Lee (19)
Jaiden Francois (23)

Just wanted to fork off a discussion to the Cooler, since we're seeing a lot of this more and more.

I've brought up the NGSW Competition a few times, from a LinkedIn article I wrote awhile back ...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sigs-plan-b-277-fury-bryan-j-smith/

To including it in various comments I realize I really shouldn't be 'babbling' in other threads.

• https://ucf.forums.rivals.com/threads/russia-attacks-ukraine-putin-is-a-thug-mega-thread-🇺🇦.99328/page-71#post-2481219
• https://ucf.forums.rivals.com/threa...er-before-it-begins.95944/page-4#post-2357965

Much of the US Congress has stated over and over they want to kill the NGSW before it begins, but I don't think it will die. I mean, even the Swedes and Fins are now looking -- together -- at a 2.8" (71mm) Short-Action semi-auto as a 2nd issue rifle, as I started to mention here ...

• https://ucf.forums.rivals.com/threads/russia-attacks-ukraine-putin-is-a-thug-mega-thread-🇺🇦.99328/page-137#post-2493910TBD

Finland Re-Aligning to NATO, Sweeden Becoming Less Neutral

The more 'Russian ordinance-aligned' Fins use the RK62 (AKM-system, improved by Valmet) 7.62x39 [Short] Russian (not confused with 7.62x54R) as their standard issue, and are most well-known for the M76 and other M-improvements. The 'neutral' Swedes use the AK5 (FN FNC), 5.56x45 NATO. Those will continue to be the primary arms in the shorter term, much like our M4, the German G36, the UK's SA80 and others ... although the French just moved to the HK416 (long story).

However ...

Sweeden still has a lot of older AK4 (H&K G3), 7.62x51 NATO, rifles. And both use bolt-actions in 7.62x51 NATO and even older 6.5x55 Swedish, which is still a 'common standard' in Europe for civilian target shooters (and dominated the Olympics before .22LR was mandated, let alone smaller, reduced energy .17).


6.5x47 Creedmoor Becoming Common in US Special Forces, some Marksmen Roles

The 6.5x47 Creedmoor is also taking over, as it's like the 6.5x55 Swedish in performance, but fits in the 2.8" (71mm) over-all length (OAL) 'short-action' of a 7.62x51 weapon. The US has been buying more and more 6.5mm barrels and the 6.5 Creedmoor too for M21, M24 and countless other, bolt-action, as well as HK417 and SCAR-H (SCAR17) semi-auto platforms as well.

Hence why both are looking at a massive purchase of a 'Designated Marksman' rifles, semi-automatic systems well beyond those current, very limited bolt-action rifle option. We're talking 5 digits of units, not standard issue, but 'commonly used' among a very sparse population.


Sig Sauer's Traditional AR-10/FAL-like NGSW Rifle Platform

One system they are seriously giving a good look at is the Sig Sauer (Germany) AR-10/FAL-like platform in the MCX series, especially the Spear and other units, because it shoots the 7.62x51 NATO, the increasingly popular in special forces and sniper units 6.5x47 Creedmoor (6.5x55 Swede like ballistics), and ... this includes their new 'hybrid' cartridge similar to the one for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) cartridge and weapons.

The commercial Sig Sauer cartridge is the .277 Fury, which is a SAAMI standardized 0.277" bullet and 6.8mm bore that could be CIP standarized as well soon too.

In the NGSW, the 6.8mm (bore) bullet was the Army's design, leaving both the cartridge and weapon designs (both rifle and light machine gun) up to the proposals. Although it's not the same bullet as the Army's 6.8mm NGSW, it's fully compatible, cartridge-wise, like .308 Winchester to 7.62 NATO (the latter is slightly longer though), not unlike the .223 Remmington to the 5.56mm NATO.

Close to the Army's specs, the .277 Fury is 6.8mm bore (.277 bullet) of 135-140gr (9g) at 3,000fps (900mps), nearly matching the requirements for 2,700ft-lbs (3,650J) class in the NGSW project. Of all the NGSW entries, the Sig Sauer approach is the only traditional approach, so -- again -- it's platform compatible with AR-10/FAL short-action in its, albeit modified for higher pressuers, as a MCX series.

That means, unlike at least one, if not both, of the other NGSW contractors, the Sig Sauer approach can also fire 7.62 NATO and 6.5 Creedmoor, all while the new alloy bolt-face/lower case + upper brass case 6.8x51 (71.8mm OAL, so it fits in many AR-10/FAL short-actions). They need the alloy to handle the 80,000 psi (550MPa) -- yes, a good 15,000 beyond even 'test spec' of anything common in AR-10/FAL -- while still fitting in that action.

And that was the point of my LinkedIn article several years back too.


Being .277 Fury Compatible the Best Bet for Smaller Nations?

As more and more militaries are looking towards an semi-auto in a standard, albeit marksman class, rifle that would be issued to more and more units. This Sig MCX offering is 'backwards compatible' but also 'future proof' options that, again, in 5 digit volumes (bringing the costs down to under mid-5 figures USD), might make the perfect choice for just about everything.

Will be interesting to watch the small arms acquisition of Sweeden and Finland together, let alone if Congress kills NGSW altogther past the selection by the Army, and does not allow general acquisition ... which is very likely. The Sig .277 Fury may still come out on-top, with the Sig MCX, in other sales, much like the AR-10 platform did in the AR-15 and AR-18, even if not AR-10 or AR-16 itself, for that matter. Although the Dutch, and a few others, did opt for the AR-10.

On iHeartRadio 96.9 The Game

Login to view embedded media
I assume it’s a standard affiliate marketing deal, but if the process is easy and transactional and they support the kids with the tax implications this is a total no brainer. It would be cool if teams could opt in to shared accounts where the referral money is split evenly or something. But at that point is it a shadow licensing deal that squeezes out the AD? Wild stuff

Interesting topic Marc is discussing now...especially in regards to how some AD's waste soooo much $$$$ (i.e. FSU spending $20 Million to Willie Taggart to go away and UF spending $35 Million for firing their last 3 Football Coaches) but now want their fans to help PAY players.

"If colleges can pay fired football coaches to NOT do their jobs then they should be able to pay their football players who ARE doing their jobs."

Nm

Login to view embedded media

Heupel

Login to view embedded media
Gus

Login to view embedded media

Navigate with consults with most conferences and tv partners on which teams/conf are worth in future years....this guest breaks down as to why the New Big 12 will be on par with the Pac-12 and ACC...even though many predicted that the Big 12 would see its revenue cut in half when OU and Texas left.

Login to view embedded media
UCF vs UConn was most viewed “early round game” since 2009 with over 1 million viewers. Overall woman’s March madness ratings are up by 15+%

Time (9 p.m.) and TV info (ESPN) was just announced.

purchased a few.

A bit expensive but I know Bowser needs the small amount of profit.

Anyone else?

Complete interview for those that did not tune in. Donation need and facility upgrades talk starts at 4:50 mark. Beginning segment talks about UCF Women's Basketball and how TM helped move the 1st and 2nd Round NCAA Tournament games "back to campus" and away from neutral site locations that didn't draw well at all.

Login to view embedded media

On this week’s UCF KNIGHT CAP episode we discuss NIL deals, #UCF QB battles and have a fantastic interview with Kalia Davis!

Give it a listen on the following audio platform’s Spotify, Google Podcast & Apple Podcast 🎧

On this week’s UCF KNIGHT CAP episode we discuss NIL deals, #UCF QB battles and have a fantastic interview with Kalia Davis!

Give it a listen on the following audio platform’s Spotify, Google Podcast & Apple Podcast 🎧

FYI, that's a "Straight Down" polo for Cypress Point Club in California.


Login to view embedded media

From what I heard, the engagement is imminent

😂😂😂

Login to view embedded media

John Rhys Plumlee spent the last 18 months at Ole Miss as a wide receiver, but has always been a quarterback at heart. Now at UCF, he's returned to his original position and competing with Mikey Keene for the starting job.

"Amazing," Plumlee said when asked about returning to quarterback. "That's where my heart's always been. Growing up, it's what I loved to do. To be able to do it again and get back behind center, it's truly a blessing. Something I love to do."

Plumlee caught up with the media on Tuesday following the Knights' fourth practice of spring.

Was there some early rust making the move back to full-time quarterback?

"I think there's always a little rust after you take a little bit of time off," Plumlee said. "Stuff you can clean up. Obviously pocket presence, getting depth on drops. Making sure you can maneuver back there while still keeping your eyes down field and making good throws. That's always something you can work on."

During his Ole Miss career, Plumlee mentioned he had the privilege to work with offensive minds Lane Kiffin, Jeff Lebby and Rich Rodriguez, so he feels well versed in understanding schemes which is helping him transition to Gus Malzahn and Chip Lindsey's system.

Has he had a moment yet when he felt things were clicking?

"I think so. Once you're back there and make a good throw, you're like this is great. Back doing what you love doing. As you know, at the quarterback position you've got to have a short memory. Whether you're doing good or you're doing bad, you've got to flip the page and go to the next play. You see it on film later. Coach Rich Rod my freshman year used to say you never look as good on film and never look as bad. That seems to be the truth."

As a two-sport player at Ole Miss, Plumlee always devoted 100 percent of his time to baseball during previous springs. At UCF, he's juggling both although he's not eligible to play baseball this season.

"This is my first time ever doing spring (football)," Plumlee said. "Ever. I've always been doing baseball in the spring, Obviously the waiver (for immediate baseball eligibility) didn't go through, so I couldn't participate in baseball competition. It's all about time management. Football is in the morning. Baseball is in the afternoons. My focus has shifted a little bit because football is the next season, but it doesn't mean I'm not there with the guys, hitting every once in a while to keep the rust off the baseball swing."

It is sometimes a bit tiring, but Plumlee harkens back to his childhood excitement about playing both sports.

"Every once in a while (it's tiring), but you go back to 7-year-old John Rhys and what did 7-year-old John Rhys want to do? I wanted to play football and baseball at the highest level. I'm getting to do that. I feel truly blessed to do that. Maybe some days you get out of bed, your body is aching and you want to hit the snooze, but 7-year-old John Rhys wouldn't be able to sleep. That's what I always go back to."

Plumlee said it was extremely disappointing though he can't play in baseball games this spring.

"It breaks my heart," he said. "Baseball was my first love. I started playing baseball earlier than football. I know God's got a plan. It's already written. Even though it breaks my heart, yeah I wanted to play, but I know God's got a greater plan."

Asked about wide receiver talent, Plumlee immediately name dropped UCF's returning stars in Ryan O'Keefe and Jaylon Robinson.

"Amazing receivers," Plumlee said. "Those guys can really run. Can really run routes and catch."

Jaylon Griffin is also starting to emerge.

"Like Coach Lindsey said, I think JG is a big piece in this thing. And Kobe (Hudson) coming from Auburn is a great talent. Those guys have stood out to me. Jordan (Johnson) as well. Amari (Johnson). Great route runner, really quick, has a good feel. I think we've got the opportunity to have really good depth."

How is Plumlee viewing his role in the quarterback competition with Mikey Keene?

"Obviously Mikey is a great talent. Obviously a stud of a dude. Knows the game really well. Has the arm to make all the throws. Has the athletic ability to get out of the pocket and make plays with his feet as well. It's been really fun to compete with Mikey. Compete with Tommy (Castellanos), Parker (Navarro) and all those guys. I think it takes everybody's game to the next level when you put competition into the mix. Everybody is forced to get better. To have an opportunity to compete against somebody against Mikey is truly a blessing and is fun to be able to do as well."

What's his view of freshman quarterback Thomas Castellanos?

"He's a stud," Plumlee said. "There's no doubt about it. He's really athletic. I think he's a lot like me coming out of high school. The first couple days, his head was kind of spinning but now he's starting to settle in. The game is slowing down for him. Freaky athlete. Really good arm, really good legs. He's gonna be a player for sure."

Quarterbacks haven't been "live" in practices thus far - meaning no hits from the defense - so Plumlee hasn't really had a true opportunity to show off his running ability in a competitive setting.

"I always love being live just because I get the opportunity to make plays with my feet," Plumlee said. "If it was up to me, I'd go live but ultimately it's up to (the coaches)."

Asked about a highlight of today's practice, Plumlee connected with Amari Johnson for a big gain.

"I threw a deep ball one-on-one," he said. "Amari ran a really good inside fade route. Beat the guy over the top. When they're that open, you just throw it. He obviously makes a great catch. Would've been a touchdown. Great to see guys get that open. That makes it easy on anybody."

Plumlee is excited for Saturday's scrimmage.

"I want to bring a lot of energy. I want the offense to win. I want the offense to score a bunch of points. Whatever that looks like, I want the offense to score a bunch of points."

Login to view embedded media

UCF OC and QB coach Chip Lindsey talks about the first four days of spring practice, goes in-depth about the QB competition and more.

-Today was the fourth day of practice. Chip says today was "pretty good" in terms of energy, attitude and body language but "not their best day." They need to be better on Thursday. "Any time you challenge this group, I think they rise to the challenge."

-Today they worked on third down for the first time, which comes with new intricacies in terms of different looks, understanding protections, down and distance, etc. Still thought it was a "solid day."

-Lindsey he's pleased overall with the offense, but said again they need to bring more energy on Thursday.

-I asked if Mikey Keene and John Rhys Plumlee had separated themselves to be considered the top two QBs.

"Probably a little early to say that," Lindsey said. "We still rotate Thomas and Parker in there some. Joey some too. Joey is a talented guy who can do different things. We hope to narrow that thing down the further we go through spring ball. One day two guys will get a heavy dose of certain groups and the next day the other day... We want to get that thing narrowed down by the end of spring."

-On freshman QB Thomas Castellanos:

"For a guy that's supposed to be in high school, he's very impressive. He's got a live arm. You see that right out of the gate. He's very athletic for sure... I'm not sure if he's 17 or 18, but think about a high school senior coming in and understanding verbiage. I'll say this. He's studied his butt off. I've been impressed with the way he's transitioning. But there's still some details. You throw a third down in there like today and the defense gives you some exotic looks. You've got to get the protection right and all that. That's part of his growth. Really been impressed through. You can tell he was well coached in high school. Comes from a really good program. So far he's been very impressive. Each and every day it seems he makes a wow play. I think the future is really bright for him."

-On Joey Gatewood moving to WR:

"It's something I think Joey is excited about. He's big and athletic. Obviously from playing quarterback he's got a great feel of what we're doing in the passing game. Joey, over times in his career, I know in high school he split out and did some things. When I've been with him before he's done it some. We'll see how it goes. Definitely a talented guy that I think can do a lot of things for us."

-On John Rhys Plumlee transitioning back to QB after playing WR the past two seasons:

"I think it was 18 months I guess since he played quarterback. The little things with the drops mirroring up with the right route and so forth. But I've been really impressed with him. After I would say practice four today, you couldn't look out there and say he doesn't look like he's been playing quarterback. I think he's getting more and more comfortable."

-On Mikey Keene's development:

"It's funny. I just met him. You can look on film and see golly, he looks a little bigger, a little stronger. The ball comes out of his hand a little better. Mikey is very solid. Very smart. You can tell he's played. He's got that presence. He understands what we're trying to do. Not a lot is going to fool him. I think you can see a difference physically in him. He's very intelligent. I think that's why he had success last year."

-On the WR competition:

"That group is really talented. Obviously Coach (Grant) Heard coming in, he's doing a great job developing those guys. You can see that with the way they approach practice and work after. Obviously we've got guys coming back like (Ryan) O'Keefe, Flash (Jaylon Robinson). Very impressive. You can tell those are veteran guys that have played in a lot of snaps. JG (Jaylon Griffin) has done a really nice job there. He's gotten a lot better from last year. Obviously bringing in Kobe Hudson. You see Amari (Johnson) making some plays here and there. We need that next group of guys to really take the next step to have enough depth for where we need to be."

-On the TE competition:

"Alec (Holler) is impressive. He's a guy very similar to Mikey. Just really smart, intelligent. You can tell he's played a lot. He understands the details of the position. He's physical when blocking. Obviously shows good hands as well. Impressed with him. Kemore Gamble is as talented as anybody in the country. Big 250-pound guy that can run. He's still learning the terminology and the little things. Really been impressed with him. I think Jordan Davis has made a lot of progress. That whole group as a unit, I see those guys continuing to improve. Out of those guys, we've got to figure out who can do what and put them in those positions. It's really been a bright spot."

-Asked about reuniting with Gus Malzahn, Chip said he can really tell Gus is "having a good time" and you can see his enthusiasm. "It's going to be a lot of fun again."

-On the RB depth:

"If you look at it, obviously (Isaiah) Bowser is a guy and getting R.J. (Harvey) back from the injury last year. Johnny (Richardson) is a really talented guy. You've got Mark-Antony (Richards) and the young guys. We've got some bodies that are very impressive. We're gonna need them as the season plays out. Guys get banged up here and there. I think we're in a good spot right now. That's going to help us as we get through the grind of the season."

He said again R.J. Harvey is not cleared for contact, but he's doing everything else. They hope he's 100 percent by the fall.

-On what he wants to see in Saturday's scrimmage:

"I want to see guys play in a live situation. I don't know if we'll go live on the quarterbacks. Coach will decide that. You're not going three and four-play sets where you've got time. We're rolling. Who can get the signal? Who can get us lined up? Not have penalties, false starts. Getting communication down. Training them to be in the operation like a game. I think that's what you see. In practice, it's more of a controlled situation where you can control a lot of things. They've got to quickly process (during a scrimmage). It's a little different in those situations."

-On whether WR Jaylon Griffin stepping up:

"I think so. I wasn't here last year, but I've been impressed with him. We need him to be that and step up. Kind of challenged him in the offseason to take that next step. A lot of that is believing in himself and having the confidence. You can tell his confidence is growing. Been really pleased with him and need him to continue to improve."