Survey: Buggs wants fewer targeting flags, Devonta wants to shut people up

Jon Epstein and Jon Myerberg of USA Today surveyed players from the four playoff teams to get their takes on some of the hot button issues in the sport. There is some great stuff in here, starting with Alabama DE Isaiah Buggs:

“It’s football but also making sure player safety is important. I do think they could do a little bit better with the targeting calls. They could be a little more loose with those calls, but other than that everything is fine.”

Shocking that a defensive player thinks they can loosen up a bit, eh?

Devonta Smith was pretty concise when asked about playoff expansion:

“I like the eight-team. I think four just makes more people talk, and eight might just shut everybody up.”

Watching #5, #7, and #8 lose to lower ranked teams yesterday may shut a few up anyway. Devonta also had some interesting words about recruiting:

“A lot of coaches tell recruits things like, ‘You come here, you’ll start from day one.’ If a coach is telling you you’re going to start from day one, it’s not true. Because what if you go out there and you’re just a bum? No coach is going to put you out there if you’re just a bum. A coach said you’re going to start from day one is not telling the truth.”

Hmmm, who could he be talking about here? He was committed to a school back in 2015 then decommitted in January as a new coach was coming in. Can you guess that coach? (Hint: rhymes with Derby Fart.)

Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins had an interesting recruiting story too:

“I was told by one school that when I came on my official visit, I would have a host who was a football player but most of the time I’d be accompanied by a female athlete, also. For the whole weekend. A female. He said he’d put us in contact with a beautiful female athlete to accompany us for the whole weekend.”

/checks Ronnie’s offer list

Yep, Hugh Freeze’s Ole Miss is on there.

Hale Hentges said that ladies were used in his recruitment as well, but a bit differently.

“Everyone always brought up, ‘The girls here love football players.’ And not that it was weird ... I mean, it definitely excited me, but I’m kind of like, I’m 17, I’m sitting with my mom. She doesn’t necessarily want to hear that.”

Recruiting is so creepy, y’all.

The entire survey can be found here. It’s a quick read and definitely worth your time.

Roll Tide.