Just before Graham Craig was announced as the new head coach of Division II powerhouse Valdosta State (D-II - GA), we shared a story about the school's ongoing search and some concerns that coaches had about what many consider to be one of the top small college jobs in the country.
Looks like it's safe to add one more thing to that list.
Tremaine Jackson led the program the past three seasons to a 30-9 mark, including in the Division II National Title game just over a month ago, before he left to become the head coach at Prairie View A&M (FCS - TX).
The decision to leave Valdosta stemmed from the fact that despite his efforts to secure a "long term plan for success," he and school could not reach an agreement on what that should look like.
Today, Jackson shared a link on Twitter / X where Blazers players and staff could purchase their own rings celebrating a 13-1 season, Gulf South championship, and Region 2 title, and National Runner Up finish.
Normally priced at $325, these can be bought - on sale - for $255.
After reaching out to a number of Division II coaches, it's our understanding that when a school has a season similar to Valdosta's 2024 campaign that the school covers a certain amount, and boosters or other donors step up to cover the rest in the majority of cases.
Sure, plenty of coaches shared there are schools where players are asked to pay out of their pocket for a keepsake like this, but none of those schools have a campus located in a town that has garnered the nickname "Titletown, USA."
A school with a coveted tradition like Valdosta has, it seems strange to be directing players and staff to a link to buy a ring themselves after all the sacrifice that went into that 13-1 season.
It begs the question: If the Blazers had won it all, would they be asking staff and players to pay anything out of pocket?
New head coach and former player Graham Craig has the opportunity to lead a team to find that out.