Top 10 things we learned from Day 2 at ACC meetings
AMELIA ISLAND, Florida (WTVD) -- Ten things we learned at Day 2 of the ACC Spring Meetings:
1) "We're frustrated!" -- That was Larry Fedora expressing his dismay over the fact that with the new early recruit signing day in December will come three additional spring months of recruit visits. It'll be an extra burden on not just coaching staffs, but the players who host the prospective recruits on these weekends. Dave Doeren said it's something the players have advocated for, but reality may not be to their liking.
2) "It's all about being balanced and respectful of each other's time." -- Dave Doeren on another change that's coming to CFB this year. No more two-a-days. It's another measure geared towards athlete welfare. Reality is, two-a-days had already been cut to a minimum, and in order to make up for the practice load being adjusted, fall camps will now start in July.
As Larry Fedora said..
3) "I'm not sure who they were listening to, but it wasn't the players!" -- Fed said there's not a single player he knows that'll want to start camp in July. Between this idea and the Spring visits, there seemed universal opposition from coaches here. The ACC and SEC were the only leagues to oppose the Spring visit period, but Fedora says every coach he's spoken to in the other leagues is against it too. Who exactly is for the changes is something of a mystery to him.
4) "I'd prefer to wait and address those questions once we've made the response public." -- Bubba Cunningham didn't want to delve into any specifics about UNC's latest response to the NCAA, submitted Tuesday. He anticipates UNC's side of the story to be made public in 10-14 days.
5) "But since the case is ongoing, we haven't done that." -- Bubba told us the ACC has formal committee that shares info and weighs the consequences of the member schools who've colored outside the NCAA lines. UNC has shares details of the earlier portions of their NCAA misadventures with the other schools/league but with this academic case still unresolved, they've not shared specifics involved in it.. yet.
6) "Whether you're gonna have a chip in your head, or something on your glasses, I don't know what it's gonna be." -- Bubba Cunningham when asked to guess at the future content delivery methods of the ACC Network. I of course followed up by pressing him on if he'd serve as a guinea pig for brain chip content:
7) "I don't think there's a chip big enough!" -- Duke AD Kevin White will not participate in any brain chip trials for the ACC
8) "I don't want to play a rival that first week." -- Dave Doeren doesn't want to see the Tar Heels in week #1 of future schedules. Given that the ACC Network will need to be fed with quality football inventory, many schools will find themselves playing conference games right from the jump starting in 2019. Doeren accepts that reality, but wants rivalry games in season, not at the start.
9) "It's 14 dictators in there." -- Fedora on the mood in the room when the ACC's FB coaches gather together. He was half joking, but maintained that his league peers more than ever agree that they are the best league in the country in part because the ACC has the best coaches.
10) HALLELUJAH. My suitcase has finally arrived at the hotel. I haven't seen it yet, because we're still at the Ritz, but the news seems to be confirmed. I'll have a hard time parting with the pair of shorts I've been wearing since arrival, mostly because they've now fused with my skin and become one with my body.
