AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 26
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Shoud Pearl make more than Fulmer?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Wednesday morning and we’re on the eve of the NCAA’s Sweet 16 that, for my money, usually gives us some of the very best basketball of the tournament. How does the Sweet 16 connect to a college football blog? It leads us into our five burning questions of the day:
1. Will Bruce Pearl soon make more money than Phillip Fulmer? My good friend David Climer of the Tennessean newspaper raises this issue today. The word started leaking out at the SEC Tournament that Pearl, who has two Sweet 16 appearances in his first three years at Tennessee, will be courted by Indiana for its opening at head coach. Pearl makes $1.3 million and is slated for automatic raises of $100,000 through 2013. What do you do if Indiana backs up the Brinks Truck in order to salvage the mess that has been made of that program? Climer says you pay the freight, whatever it is, to keep Pearl. I agree. Fulmer’s compensation is around $2 million per year. Paying Pearl more and the fallout that might come with it can’t be a factor in the decision.
2. Is Stephen Garcia done? Garcia, the star-crossed quarterback who STILL hasn’t gotten on the field for South Carolina, has been suspended AGAIN, this time for underage drinking. It is his third run-in with the law in 14 months. He is off the team until Aug. 15. So for the second straight spring he gets no meaningful work and no chance to get better. Coach Steve Spurrier says Garcia’s fate is in the university’s hands. This young man needs to go home to Florida and get his act together.
3. Is Freddie Fairchild finished? The Arkansas linebacker was arrested on Monday and charged with beating a woman and holding her against her will. IF the allegations turn out to be true….
Let me say this again: IF the allegations turn out to be true, then Fairchild should be done and banned from playing at any SEC school. This is a pet peeve of mine that comes from having a daughter. You get in a bar fight or get into some other tussle with the law, you deserve a chance to rehabilitate yourself. You hit a woman and it is proven in a court of law and you’re finished. You’re a coward and I don’t want you playing for me.
4. What’s the deal on Auburn’s quarterback? New OC Tony Franklin wanted to name a starter coming out of the spring but he can’t. That’s because Chris Todd, the junior college transfer, does not have full strength back in his throwing arm. Todd and Kodi Burns will take the rest of the snaps in the final days of spring practice and will probably be the only two guys who handle the position in Saturday’s spring game. This competition will be top story lines in the SEC when the teams come back in August. I believe both are going to play this fall and give opposing defensive coordinators a lot to think about.
5. Will James Wilson stay at Florida? Wilson is a classic example of why, when a player asks to be released from his scholarship, the head coach should not automatically say yes. Wilson had a couple of knee surgeries in his freshman season and couldn’t practice or play. He got down and wanted to transfer, somehow thinking that his problems would be solved by going to Wake Forest. Now Wake Forest is a great school coached by one of the best in the business (Jim Grobe). Florida’s Urban Meyer denied the request and asked that Wilson take another look at the Gators. Wilson showed up for spring practice and, if he stays, will be in a position to help Florida this fall. Sitting out two straight years is not going to help his situation. You need to stay put, young man.
