Finally got a chance to listen to this presser. My takeaways.
1. I first noticed the Coke Zero Sugar and Dasani bottles on the podium and simple PNC / GT banner in the background. Maybe that's not new and I just don't watch a lot of GT pressers. But two big names, not some local car dealership, not a million logos. We are in the middle of the biggest and most important business center in the south. We have to continue to recruit the biggest businesses in Atlanta, writing the biggest *single* checks, to have our backs. Georgia Tech the school does a great job of that. Cabrera and ADJB need to both do a better job of that for the football program. Fix football funding, and it will fix the GTAA. You don't stitch a cut on a finger when the torso is bleeding out.
2. This is picking nits, but both ADJB and CBK had to gulp when Cabrera opened the presser and spent just a bit too long on how difficult it is to be a student at Tech, let alone be a S-A at Tech. That clip won't make it into the video they send recruits. Cabrera should have been more mindful of the situation IMO. CBK mentioned the challenge of being a S-A in passing later in the context of recruiting the right guys for GT. It just can't be the headline.
3. ADJB is polished and confident. Moreso than I thought he would be.
4. CBK clearly knows we've been a soft and undisciplined program. I think he did a great job fixing that as best he could as interim with no benefit of offseason practices and S&C programming. And he did a great job not calling out people by name who led to our program being soft, while pointing at that glaring weakness.
5. CBK talking about knowing Georgia Tech, the fans, the electricity in the stands that *can* be here. He's got to know that when we are winning 9 games a year and beating UGA 1/3 of the time, the fans will be there (yeah I know that's a high bar for us historically, but that's our fans expectations no matter the norm). Look at the stadiums of every other school these days except the highest ranked factories - the stands are virtually empty. I think GT actually gets pretty solid stadium support by comparison, considering how dark the recent years have been. But to fill up the stadium you have to win, period. Get ranked in the top 25 in Week 5 with a 7:30pm Saturday game on ESPN2 and the stadium will be 95% full like it's 1999.
6. CBK talking about staff - won't be in a rush to make decisions, wants teachers and recruiters.
7. CBK mentioned several time that roster improvement starts with improving our current roster - great. We're not a program who can get better with an exodus of players and rely on the portal overnight. And there are enough recruits out there that are fast, have the right frame, want to work hard, hate losing, that can exceed their star ratings in college, whether they start as a 2, 3, or 4 star. I don't have confidence that we've had any sort of real work ethic as a football program over the last 4 years to accomplish that.
8. I love that CBK doesn't say UGA by name. öööö 'em. I hope we go back to the O'L days where no red is allowed, whether players or recruits. Don't get it or don't like it? Fine GTFO.
9. When Kelly, Rod and Ken asked their questions they asked it "for Brent" - if I'm CBK I would have taken a moment to correct him that it's "Coach" or "Coach Key" but it's sure as öööö not "Brent". Weak questions from all 3 of them, too.
10. I don't understand what CBK is saying about not caring about results when Klein asked his question -- it's pretty straightforward.... CBK said earlier that you don't look at the scoreboard because you go one play at a time with maximum effort. He didn't say he doesn't care about the scoreboard at the end of the game. Dumb "gotcha" attempt by Klein, who is so bad as his job that after what 15 years he's still stuck at a local Atlanta ABC affiliate. But he successfully tripped coach up on his words. Coach should have just told the dwag fan that he never said he didn't care about results.
11. Finally Schultz asks one of the only questions we care about -- what have you seen in the last 4 years that disgusted you? CBK answered I guess the best he could without throwing his former boss (who brought him back here) under the bus. I guess I'm ok with that. We all wish he would have been less professional here and just lit the flamethrower.
12. CBK talks most confidently and at ease when he talks about the players. That's great but being a successful HFBC today entails a lot more than that so I hope ADJB and Cabrera are ready to support in all the other ways with respect to the business of the program.
13. How does no one specifically ask about conference affiliation impact on finances, and ask Cabrera specifically whether Georgia Tech, the school, in the past, had broken off discussions with the B1G? When are you going to get Cabrera in the room with respect to athletics again? That's a fundamental missed opportunity, if it happened.
14. "Recruiting at a high level" -- phew, barely dodged "at an elite level" there in an answer toward the end.
15. If I'm ADJB and CBK (and hell, Tex and the other $$ guys), I'm in Cabrera's office every month for a standing meeting about football funding. Cabrera has to be involved. This is the most public-facing subsidary of the firm, by far. You can't allow it to be cash-strapped. You have to fix it. This is part of the job of the president, it's not just the GTAA on an island.
Overall, I think CBK wants out of the monkey suit and back on the practice field or weight room more than anything. That, combined with it being his first presser, I'll round it up to a "B" for his first presser as HFBC.
