Monday Musings: King of the deal; chances against Bama?

It’s Monday, which means it’s time for another deep dive into the recesses of my mind and see what Canes’ related stuff is floating around in there....

1) D’Eriq King is making that money, y’all. I posted about it last week when NIL day arrived, but King has been one of the most visible players during the past week. Dude has been all over the place. So far, King has reportedly inked deals with College Hunks, Murphy Auto Group, and the Wharf, while also serving as a founder for the athlete NIL platform Dreamfield. King’s brother Keshon King said the following to SI about D’Eriq’s past few days: “His phone is ringing non-stop. He’s trying to take the deals that fit him best.”

2) And plenty of other dudes are keeping it simple, yet profitable. By that, I mean stuff like Cameos and simple website merchandising. It’s as easy as it gets from a business perspective, yet it’s something that can net some of these guys some money without having to do too much. Al Blades, Jr. has something that I really want - the “Hit Stick Bust D—-” shirt. It’s only fitting that Junior carry on what Senior started, and I’ll be getting one of those soon. And, well, it looks like he’s doing alright with it so far:

3) Does Miami realistically have a chance in two months against Bama? Well, today I was engaging with one of our SOTU own - Kappa Cane - over this on Twitter. Kappa says yes, I say no.

Yes, Alabama is certainly replacing a slew of talent they lost to the draft. However, their roster talent from top to bottom is still literally second to none. They’re replacing holes with 4 and 5-star talent that has been groomed under high-end NFL draft picks by outstanding coaches. And the chasm between Nick Saban and Manny Diaz as far as a gameday coach is night and day at this point. Saban almost always has his team prepared and playing at a high level from the opening kick, and Miami is a coin flip as to whether they’ll be ready to go, being notorious slow starters, or - in the case of the UNC game - total non-starters.

Could it happen? Eh, after thinking about it more, I suppose it COULD. Stanford beat USC as 40+ point underdogs in 2007. App State-Michigan happened. Actually, a lot of wacky things happened in 2007, come to think of it. Anyways, I mean, big upsets happen, which this would be, so it can.

But, given the completely different universes both coaches operate in as far as being prepared and getting the most out of your players....that’s just too much of an advantage for me to be able to get past.

Look, I love Manny and want him to succeed - and I think 2021 can be a step in the right direction. I honestly hope that we win in Atlanta. I do, believe me. I’m a Tennessee and Miami grad, so I REALLY hate Alabama. I hope that you all drag up this post and rub my face in it right after the game ends. My keyboard to God’s ears screen. I’m hoping we have a great year that ends up in a New Years Six Bowl. I’ll be at the UNC game with friends cheering them on to what will hopefully be a win in the pivotal game of the season (and yes, they can win that game).

I just don’t believe it’s going to happen. Sorry. *ducks tomatoes and runs off the stage* (pssst, Go Canes)