Team Selection Committee holds first meeting of 2019 season
Florida Citrus Sports’ team selection committee convened for its first meeting of 2019 on Monday, as members shared details and feedback from scouting trips across the country during the first two weeks of the season.
Scott Johnson led off the live presentations with a recap of his and Todd LeDoux’s trip to Louisville for Notre Dame’s win over the Cardinals during Week 1.
“It was pretty much a full house, fan-wise, through the end of the third quarter,” said Johnson, who met with Louisville AD Vince Tyra following the game.
Following the distribution of several written reports, Mark Knott followed with the first live Week 2 report, recalling details from his trip to Clemson for the No. 1 Tigers’ 24-10 win over Texas A&M.
“The atmosphere was great — there wasn’t even room to stand in the press box,” Knott said. “They have some great traditions at Clemson, and it was really nice to be able to be there.”
Later, Woody Whitcomb gave his and Michael Fleming’s analysis of LSU’s win over Texas on Saturday. Whitcomb stated that he previously visited DKR Memorial Stadium to watch Texas play Oklahoma State, but stated that “this game was so much more.”
Whitcomb said that even in the early afternoon it was “wall-to-wall people” in Austin and remarked that “it was electrifying — the Texas fans really brought it.”
“It was an incredible game,” Whitcomb said. “We went down on the field about halfway through the fourth quarter, and Matthew McConaughey — he was like a team mascot. He was all over the place.”
Louis Parchman, meanwhile, visited Ole Miss for Saturday’s win over Arkansas and gave his report by phone.
“They played a great game,” Parchman said of the Rebels. “It was a great fan base, great environment, very welcoming and a lot of positive energy.”
Finally, Joan Carroll and Paul Kennedy brought up the rear with the last presentation of the morning, with Carroll detailing the pair’s trip to Ann Arbor for Michigan’s home win over Army in double-overtime on Saturday.
“The highlight of the game was watching the Michigan team stand with the West Point band and sing the Army alma mater after the contest,” Carroll said. “It was Go Blue versus Go Red, White and Blue, and it was a great weekend to represent Florida Citrus Sports on campus in Ann Arbor.”