Daily Bullets (Dec. 24): Gundy – A Mad Genius, Sean Gleeson a Candidate?

Happy “oh shoot why did I forget a gift for that person” day (in the Mandeville house)

Bullets Rundown

• Cowboy bowl gifts
• Gleeson a candidate?
• Gundy mixes madness and genius

OSU Bullets

• Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Here’s what the Pokes are getting for their bowl prizes. 

Gift suite; Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card; Justin cowboy hat; belt buckle; bandana; Adidas duffle bag, shoe bag and toiletry bag [SportsBusinessDaily]

The article shows the gifts for most of the other bowls – pretty cool. Just a reminder, bowls can’t give more than $550 to players (in value) because #amateur status.

• It’s not the most far-fetched narrative out there but Sean Gleeson appears to be a rumored candidate for the Rutgers (and the Texas?) offensive coordinator job.

There are also multiple reports in the media including out of New Jersey and in Austin, Texas that offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson is being courted as the next offensive coordinator for returning head coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers and for Tom Herman, who has rehauled his coaching staff at the University of Texas…

Gundy surely expects Gleeson to be around multiple seasons before a possible move on much like previous offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who is now at Ohio State. However, a move to Rutgers where the salary would be competitive as Rutgers paid their offensive coordinator $625,000 last season might be attractive as Gleeson is from that area and has lived their much of his life. [Pokes Report]

Texas surprises me but Rutgers doesn’t. It does seem a bit early but Rutgers isn’t the same industry leader it was a hundred and fifty years ago.

• This remark about Mike Gundy drilled into an aspect of his coaching that makes him so valuable – looking at the 2011 win at Texas A&M for support.

Gundy said staffers fussed over details from Blackmon potentially falling down to dropping the snap to OSU losing 33 yards rushing. The boss prevailed, though, and everything worked out just fine.

We sensed it before that day, but the Blackmon safety made it official — no coach mixes madness with genius like Gundy. [TulsaWorld]

• OSU will have a different “special teams coach” in the bowl game than they’ve had all year.

Defensive graduate assistant Matt Clements will serve as special teams coordinator for the Texas Bowl, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

Former grad assistant Patrick Cashmore, who held the job the last two seasons, was hired as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Pitt State, the Division II school in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Cashmore and analyst M.K. Taylor have worked together on OSU’s special teams game plans the last two years.

As an analyst, Taylor cannot communicate with players in a coaching capacity, so Clements will be the voice on the sidelines for OSU in Friday’s Texas Bowl. [NewsOK]

The whole special teams setup is interesting. Have a GA coach on the field repeatedly but keep a consistent analyst behind the scenes. It’s not the craziest idea if you can get some talent (and consistency).

Assuming plan A where you hire a full-time special teams coach isn’t available.

• Cowboys are killing it in baseball recruiting:

The 2019 @D1Baseball @prepbaseball Recruiting Rankings culminated with the Top 5, and with @GatorsBB holding down the top spot.

We have breakdowns on:

1. @GatorsBB
2. @VandyBoys
3. @OSUBaseball
4. @OleMissBSB
5. @TCU_Baseball

>> https://t.co/zrrt8aLRA3 pic.twitter.com/Htqn3T8ow1

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) December 23, 2019

• The first dunker and the cause for the goaltending rule seems like a pretty impactful career.

From the 1st slam dunk to the introduction of goaltending rules, Bob Kurland truly changed the game. Today would have been the 95th birthday for the 1946 National Player of the Year. #LetsWork | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/yGJm0x2HMd

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) December 23, 2019

• Tevin Jenkins was just a mauler this year. He and Keyes are an all-time pair of run blockers.

Highest run-blocking grades, Big 12 tackles:

1. Teven Jenkins, Ok St: 80.3
2. Samuel Cosmi, Texas: 78.3
3. Lucas Niang, TCU: 71.8
4. Bryce Meeker, Iowa St: 69.8
5. Colton McKivitz, West Virginia: 68.5

— Cam Mellor (@PFF_Cam) December 22, 2019

• This line about the TCU violation was pretty funny (and a good reason for NCAA sanctions)

.@drewdavison on with us now talking TCU’s NCAA probation after self-reported violations.

Here’s my favorite line from his initial story:

"The players were on the football and men’s and women’s basketball teams. Their job was to change light bulbs across the campus." https://t.co/RZnWQaPLMF

— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) December 23, 2019

Non-OSU Bullets

• These cultural moments of goodness were uplifting (faith-based elements included)
• Valuable thoughts here on how busyness keeps us locked into low-value projects (Stephen Covey would agree)
• The travel agent’s problem