CBS Sports had an article today talking about the 25 most influential people in college sports currently. They took a panel of 12 people, made up of athletic directors, consultants and a professor all with sports backgrounds and polled them on who they thought moved the needle the most in college sports.
The obvious names were on the list including Kevin Plank (Under Armour), Phil Knight (Nike), Mark Emmert (NCAA President), Mike Slive (former SEC Commissioner) and numerous other league commissioners. Also on the list were Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Coach K.
The obvious name missing from the list is John Calipari. Not sure how you can't label him one of the most influential people in college sports as his recruiting style has changed the way people - cough, cough, Coach K - recruit and how much attention he's brought to Kentucky. Take a look at the quote for Meyer:
"Today, the SEC consists of many unique offenses that can be traced back to Meyer's success. His competitiveness in recruiting has changed the Big Ten and probably helped crystalize Michigan's need to hire Jim Harbaugh last fall to keep up. Off the field, Meyer used his platform at the post-game Sugar Bowl news conference to criticize the NCAA for not reimbursing families to see their sons play in the College Football Playoff. Two days later, the NCAA announced a pilot program to reimburse players' families"
Sound a little familiar, huh? SEC basketball just made a rash of pretty big-name hires, while Calipari discusses the NCAA at almost every press conference. Kind of hard to imagine this list without Coach Cal.
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