The saying goes, ‘There’s a grain of reality in each joke.’
That maxim rings true within the newest back-and-forth, dust-up, photographs fired, no matter one needs to name it, between Georgia coach Kirby Good and Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who partially was schooled by Good when Lanning coached in Athens.
At SEC Media Days lately, Good took the primary jab at Lanning, all with what appeared like light-hearted humor.
“I’ve had the nice pleasure of assembly Phil Knight and his fantastic spouse, Penny,” Good mentioned. “I want I might get a few of that NIL cash that he’s sharing with Dan Lanning.”
Later, in a follow-up query for Good to broaden on that shot taken at Lanning, Good went additional making an attempt to show his level saying Lanning has, “the treasure chest to open up and get no matter he needs.”
Good enjoying the ‘woe is me’ angle doesn’t actually play nicely. He isn’t far faraway from profitable back-to-back nationwide championships and Georgia is the perfect program within the nation. Assets are hardly skinny in Athens. It does appear to be Georgia’s technique in NIL is to promote this system after which pay up as soon as children really signal and get on campus, not earlier than. Others have totally different approaches.
Lanning has not held again, both. All of the whereas conserving the tit-for-tat lighthearted and enjoyable (for now) but additionally making it clear that the Geese aren’t some Pacific Northwest backwater who gained’t retaliate with a bazooka if wanted.
“The rabbit has the gun,” Lanning advised I-5corridor.com. “And other people don’t like the truth that we’re in a position to enter gunfights with a gun as nicely.”
Oregon’s coach, who turned down Alabama to remain in Eugene following Nick Saban’s retirement, then cocked his Saturday-night particular once more on the Pat McAfee Present.
“It’s spectacular that guys like Kirby have been signing the No. 1 class within the nation with none NIL cash this complete time,” Lanning quipped.
“Coach Good took just a little shot at us. If you wish to be a top-10 staff in school soccer you higher have nice help. We’ve that.”
Perhaps the feud ends right here. However we’ve seen this earlier than – high-level coaches battling over gamers, battling over who’s distributing cash the place and within the excessive stakes sport of faculty soccer, particularly now within the NIL period, each greenback issues. So does each ego.
Just some years in the past, then-Alabama coach Nick Saban derided then-Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher for NIL offers.
Miffed that the Aggies had the No. 1 class in 2022 over his Crimson Tide (how dare anybody however Alabama have the highest class) Saban took to a Birmingham fundraiser and amongst different issues mentioned, “A&M purchased each participant on their staff.”
Fisher would have none of it. At a press convention the following day, Fisher went in. Onerous.
“Some folks assume they’re God,” Fisher mentioned of Saban. “Go dig into how God did his deal. It’s possible you’ll discover out a whole lot of issues you do not need to know. We construct him as much as be the czar of soccer. Go dig into his previous, or anyone that is ever coached with him. You’ll find out something you need to discover out, what he does and the way he does it. It is despicable.”
Based on an in-depth story in The Tuscaloosa Information, regardless of public plaudits, Saban and Fisher didn’t actually see eye-to-eye since their LSU teaching days. The pot of rigidity steamed over when Saban mentioned NIL was the explanation Texas A&M was recruiting so nicely. After all cash performed a component however at the moment in NIL, all the pieces was nonetheless hush-hush.
Saban has since retired, absolutely the altering panorama of faculty soccer enjoying no less than some function. Fisher was fired after going 45-25 in six seasons in Faculty Station, moneyed gamers or not didn’t appear to matter.
Certainly not, is the Good-Lanning back-and-forth even in the identical ballpark as when Saban and Fisher went at it. Not but, no less than.
There’s a sliver of reality and gamesmanship in what Good and Lanning mentioned. All is truthful in love and recruiting.
Each coaches chuckled about it. However Good needs extra NIL dough and Lanning needs these championship rings. Absolutely, they don’t see this as a laughing matter.
