DMac's long road

A great songwriter once penned the words:

They say it takes hardship, boy, to let you love the rest.

Sometimes underneath the load is where I show my best.

Couldn't help but think of those words yesterday as DeAndre McDaniel sat at a table full of reporters and answered a barrage of questions with calmness and good humor.

Most of the queries centered on McDaniel's reuniting with Christian Ponder, or McDaniel's thoughts about Kyle Parker's return.

I wasn't at DMac's table for the entirety of the session, so not sure if anyone asked him about how far he's come in a mere two years.

I bring up McDaniel's arrest -- assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature against his then-girlfriend -- not to open old wounds, but to amplify the positives of the DeAndre McDaniel we saw yesterday.

Since successfully completing a pre-trial intervention program that wiped away the charge, McDaniel has done impressive things.

He's an FWAA All-American. He's a candidate for the Thorpe award. In 2009, he won the Vickery Hall award for academic improvement by earning a 3.25 GPA in the first semester and a 3.0 in the second. He was named to the 2009-2010 ACC academic honor roll.

And he's three hours away from a degree in sociology.

Not too shabby for a kid who had a difficult upbringing in Tallahassee, having been raised by his grandmother as his mother racked up arrest after arrest after arrest.

Can any of us say with certainty that we'd have been able to overcome what he's overcome?

Played golf with Jeff Davis last week at Dabo Swinney's media golf outing, and Davis always seems to say something insightful and profound when you ask him deep questions.

We were on the topic of college athletes who lose their way, succumbing to the various temptations and impulses that poor upbringing might not stifle.

I wasn't writing down Davis' words, but a paraphrased version goes like this:

"Whatever these kids have been through in their lives, however much the deck has been stacked against them, when they get here the deck is even. If they fail, they choose to fail."

A lot of kids at Clemson and elsewhere have made the wrong choice. And two years ago, when McDaniel's name was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, the wrong choice might've seemed the easy choice for him.

He made the difficult choice. And now he's reaping the benefits.

No one brought up those dark days yesterday, but maybe they (we) should have. Because shining a light on the hardships allows us to truly appreciate the rest.

Speaking of DMac, he said he learned of Parker's decision to remain at Clemson when he awoke last Wednesday morning and pulled up Tigerillustrated.

That was cool to hear.

This event feels kinda strange knowing Bobby Bowden won't be holding court.

The Charlotte Observer has a column on that topic, with an update on the Bowdens' latest goings-on.

According to a Florida State spokesman, Bowden spent Sunday in Panama City Beach, Fla., with his wife Ann and son Tommy and his wife. The four just returned from a two-week tour of Israel, and Bowden is taking a break before starting a book tour; "Called to Coach: Reflections on Life, Faith, and Football" will be released next month.

Gene Sapakoff has a column on Robert Quinn facing the barrage of questions about agents.

The agent thing was yesterday's hot -- and tired -- topic. Not criticizing other reporters for doing their jobs and asking the questions, but here's a question: What do you expect these kids to say? They've undoubtedly been coached to the hilt, by the PR folks from their school and from the ACC, on the art of saying nothing in response to these queries.

Speaking of Quinn, I asked him about his friend Da'Quan Bowers and he had some interesting things to say. More on that later today.

Doug Roberson of the AJC wonders whether this will be the ACC's year to play with the big boys.

Would not be all that surprised if Virginia Tech and North Carolina acquit themselves (and the ACC) well in opening showcases against Boise State and LSU, respectively.

But is this the year the ACC finally sends a team to the BCS title game (last time was 2000)? Or gets an at-large team into the BCS (last time was never)?

Doubt it. And that's not me knocking the conference, which could be really good this year.

The ACC's strong depth -- with potentially seven teams in the Top 25 at some point this season -- means some serious in-conference scrapes. When you add to that some stern non-conference competition, does anyone see any of these teams getting through undefeated or with one loss?

Not me.

FSU beat writer Andrew Carter is probably gonna get some grief from his readership for putting Boston College atop his Atlantic Division ballot.

I didn't put the Eagles atop mine, but I'm also not going to argue with Carter's pick. How many years in a row has everyone vastly underestimated this bunch?

The Wolfies say they'll be much better without a freakish run of injuries. Then again, they said the same thing last year.

Moving over to the SEC, Mike Slive gives some interesting and intelligent thoughts on expansion.

"This assessment needs to go be yond television sets, contract reve nues and market share," Slive said. "It needs to include the potential impact on conference cultures, on the lives of student-athletes, on the impact to our respective commu nities and on the collegiate model that we have come to know and ap preciate."

The Pac-10 unsuccessfully at tempted to lure Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. In response, Oklaho ma's president has said the Sooners and Texas A&M received invitations from the SEC.

"We had conversations with folks, but I'm going to avoid talking about schools," Slive said. "I think the point is made that after all that activity, here we are (still at 12 mem bers)."

From the "what's a better occupation than sportswriter?" category, former Clemson beat hack Brett Jensen might've found one:

Cheerleader judge.

Wow ... the Lane Kiffin circus continues.

Great opening lines from this Chattanooga columnist:

The only act of indecency left for Lane Kiffin is to desecrate Graceland.

What's with this punk anyway? You'd think the Volunteer state quit on him instead of the other way around.


LW

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