Good afternoon from Fatmouth Sports first SWAC Media Day. Troy travels down to Birmingham, AL. to partake in all the festivities.
As I listened to all of the interviews, a few themes kept cropping up at this year’s media day: Roster turnover and QB play. Hear me out…The transfer portal and graduation of key players has decimated a lot of QB rooms. Andrew Body and Miles Crawley are probably the most experienced returning starters. However, it would be foolish to believe there can not and will not be an upstart who can immediately impact the SWAC this season.
Junior Murotavic, who played exceptionally well in FAMU’s spring game, still has to prove he deserves to be FAMU’s starting QB over Daniel Richardson. Andrew Body was not picked as SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, but his addition to Alabama State’s roster IS the reason they were picked 1st in the SWAC East Preseason poll. Miles Crawley is the most accomplished of all returning QB’s, but does he fit the dynamic scheme of Eric Dooley? Who’s system requires a dual threat dynamic quarterback? With Coach Maynor in the hot seat can Xavier Lankford cut down on turnovers and become the stabilizing force behind center? I could go on and on about the QB play issues facing SWAC teams in this upcoming season, but you get the point.
The main theme, however, is the impact of players from the transfer portal. Please understand many reporters and media personalities are old school. We come from the “Stick it out, battle your way to the top” mentality. While I come from a PWI background and realize that a player may be able to start right at another FBS institution, the reality is not the same in FCS. There is a case to be made for chemistry. However, chemistry among lesser talent does not matter when a bigger, stronger, faster player is in front of you.
Coach Maynor’s failure with a transfer class is all everyone can remember. It clouds the voter’s outlooks of both FAMU and JSU. JSU more for what they lost when “He who must not be named” left for “somewhere in the mountains.” FAMU’s transfer class is being judged on two things. One, their failure to retain Willie Simmons (as a RB coach come on man) and two, how quickly the team can gel together with a Black National Championship defense on the line?
SWAC 2024…….Its gonna be wild.
