July 2nd, 2009 5:27 pm ║ Posted By: Josh Ward ║ Permalink ║
(The following is the latest installment of Josh Ward’s summer recruiting series. The previous posts can be found by searching our Recruiting page.)
Many of the nation’s top prospects have already committed to schools for 2010, but the majority of the nation’s most highly-ranked players are still undecided with their college decisions.
I looked across the nation to find the top five players that are strongly considering SEC schools. To make the list, the prospect must be giving an SEC school serious consideration for his college future.
Here’s my list:
1. Lache Seastrunk — Temple (Texas) High School
Seastrunk is the top running back in the country, according to Rivals.com. Seastrunk (5-11, 190) and his family seem to think even more highly of him than the rest of us. His family has already shutdown his availabilty to many members of the media. Seastrunk looked Auburn-bound when he called out Alabama’s Nick Saban during an Auburn recruiting trip last month (the well-known “Big Cat Weekend”), but he has since said he will take his time with his decision. (He has also called Saban to apologize.) That could just mean he wants to enjoy the recruiting process, which I can understand. Seastrunk has offers from such schools as Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Texas, Southern Cal and Miami. Whoever lands Seastrunk will be getting a phenomenal talent.
2. Jeff Luc — Treasure Coast High School, Port St. Lucie, Florida
Rivals ranks Luc as the top linebacker in the country. He has the size (6-1, 230) and speed to be a dominant player at the next level. Many analysts believe his natural instincts will allow him to play right away when he gets to college. Luc chould choose any school in the nation. That’s why Florida, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, USC, Ohio State and Miami are pushing so hard to land him. Luc hasn’t narrowed his list of schools yet, but he will soon. The five schools that receive official visits from him will try their hardest to land him. He can be a difference maker for any signing class.
3. Marcus Lattimore — Byrnes High School, Duncan, South Carolina
If Seastrunk isn’t the best running back in the nation, it’s probably because of Lattimore. Lattimore (6-0, 215) receives extra credit for playing at such a powerhouse program like Byrnes. He told Warchant.com recently that he’s considering eight schools: South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, Maryland and Penn State. South Carolina would love to keep Lattimore inside the state and pair him with Jarvis Giles, who will be a freshman tailback for the Gamecocks this fall. Lattimore is impressive because he looks like a running back with a power running style, but he has the speed to be a gamebreaker. His all-around game should make him a perfect fit in the SEC in 2010.
4. Christian Green — Tampa (Florida) Catholic High School
Green is one of the most coveted athletes in the nation. The 6-2, 200-pound Green plays quarterback at Tampa Catholic but will likely move to wide receiver or defensive back in college. His top three colleges right now are Florida, Georgia and Florida State. Tennessee, Ohio State and USC have all tried to stay involved. Green would seem like a prototype quarterback in a spread-option offense, but he also realizes his best long-term position isn’t behind center. Green would obviously have to learn the receiver position if he switches in college, but great athletes usually make the transition without much trouble. He is helped by the fact he has good size. Combined with his playmaking ability, he could create mismatches for opposing defensive backs.
5. JR Ferguson — Hargrave Military Academy, Chatham, Virginia
It will be an incredible recruiting battle for this defensive lineman. Ferguson (6-3, 270) recently told Rivals that he has “narrowed” his list of schools to 21. The SEC schools that popped up on that list were Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Others to make the list included USC, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Clemson. Ferguson is ranked the #3 strongside defensive end in the country and the 14th best prospect overall. Ferguson’s nickname is “Ego,” which might tell you how highly he thinks of himself, but there’s a good reason for it. Ferguson is a great talent. It will be a long recruiting process for him, likely not coming to a close until National Signing Day. The school that lands him will be lucky, because he has the potential to be a superstar in college.
July 2nd, 2009 2:29 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Okay, a little background before you click the extemely odd video below.
Steve Spurrier is the latest coach in the country to partner with “Play Action Online Kids Camps, Inc.” The idea is for kids to create digital, cartoon-like characters of themselves and walk around in a virtual world.
A world in which the ol’ ballcoach is there to talk to them about football.
The kids who visit campspurrier.com will find that Spurrier, in fact, LOVES football. He especially loves how it brings families together.
“During Thanksgiving every year millions of families gather around the tv to watch football games,” Spurrier points out to the kiddies.
And here I thought families got together for the sake of getting together and giving thanks for the year’s blessings. All the while it was all about football. Silly me.
At any rate, if you want to see Spurrier trying to relate to little kids, click the video below.
Trust me, it gets weirder the longer you watch. By the end, I’m not sure if it’s a kid’s video or something I saw the last time I dropped acid. (Kidding. I’m a kidder.)
July 2nd, 2009 11:17 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are a few other news items, columns and blogs that involve SEC teams today:
Ray Melick of The Birmingham News writes that if Congress keeps poking at the BCS with a stick, college football presidents could vote to dump the system altogether and just go back to the old everybody-to-a-different-bowl scenario. (Wouldn’t happen… the BCS brings way too much money to the big conferences for them to just walk away from it.)
Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News writes that either Florida or LSU can lay claim to the title of “SEC athletic program of the decade.”
Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody ranks #19 on The Gainesville Sun’s list of the SEC’s best players.
Here’s yet another write-up on why the SEC’s basketball coaches believe their league will improve this season.
Pat Dye and Billy Brewer were among three former football coaches (whose teams landed on probation) who talked to The Sporting News about whether or not the NCAA has given Alabama and Florida State light sentences.
Over at SI.com, Stewart Mandel’s mailbag contains the following opinions:
* Florida is “probably better suited to repeat” as national champions than the Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush/Dwayne Jarrett USC Trojans.
* Jevan Snead could be a Heisman darkhorse.
* Gene Chizik and Lane Kiffin have actually benefited from the fact the media has covered their secondary violations.
And at ESPN.com, Chris Low has ranked the SEC’s stadiums from 1 to 12 with his three favorites being:
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Tennessee
July 2nd, 2009 10:56 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your Carolina notes for the day:
Freshman receiver Alshon Jeffrey is eligible and will enroll soon at USC.
In basketball news, you can add Richmond to the list of non-conference teams the Gamecocks will face this year (Western Kentucky, Baylor, Furman, Clemson and Wofford are the others that are already known).
July 2nd, 2009 10:51 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Two Kentucky-related notes today:
Remember all the heat Billy Gillispie took for offering scholarships to extremely young kids? Well, John Calipari just made an offer to a sophomore-to-be.
UK’s Darius Miller had six steals for Team USA in the FIBA Under 19 World Championships in New Zealand yesterday.
July 2nd, 2009 10:39 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your Tennessee notes for Thursday:
Tennessee has unveiled a new donation policy that will require donors to specific academic programs to also give money to a new “Tennessee Fund” if they want to right to buy season tickets to UT athletics. In other words, donors can give to the “Tennessee Fund,” but they can no longer control how that money is used. Well, at least it’s not the “Human Fund.”
New UT strength coach Aaron Ausmus is big on speed and the ability to change directions quickly.
Bruce Pearl is off to Tel Aviv to coach the US team in the Maccabiah Games. Think of it as the Jewish Olympics.
No UT football or basketball players made the SEC’s spring academic honor roll.
Finally, we usually don’t cover the arrests of former SEC athletes (that would require another fulltime website), but when your name is “Cooter,” well, you can expect a mention. Former UT backup quarterback and graduate assistant Jim Bob Cooter has been arrested for breaking into a woman’s home, stripping down to his underwear and climbing into bed with her. Really.
July 2nd, 2009 10:24 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
The attorney for Mississippi State signee Renardo Sidney says that the NCAA has re-scheduled interviews with the player and his family for early next week.
The initial interviews were delayed last week because the attorney had not sent the NCAA the paperwork they had asked for.
The NCAA is trying to determine whether or not Sidney still qualifies as an amateur athlete and can, thus, be cleared to play for the Bulldogs.
Sidney’s family is believed to have “somehow” lived above their means during Sidney’s impressive high school career.
July 2nd, 2009 10:17 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
A few Bulldog notes for you this morning:
Defensive tackle Ricardo Crawford is back from England where he spent two weeks studying British Literature, Tudor-Stewart History and Shakespeare.
Incoming freshman defensive back Branden Smith believes that playing a little offense — and learning from guys like AJ Green — will only help to make him a better defender.
The AJC’s Junkyard Blawgger wants to see more highlights on Mark Richt’s television show. But now that coaches’ shows are viewed as recruiting tools (and that’s EXACTLY how coaches see them), they’re becoming more feature-oriented. That’s just a fact. The days of a coach commenting on each individual play are drawing to a close.
July 2nd, 2009 10:04 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
These are your Florida stories the for the day:
Add Billy Donovan to the list of SEC Twitterers. (You can follow MrSEC on Twitter, too… even though I don’t really get the point of it.)
Florida’s non-conference basketball schedule will include games with Florida State, Xavier and Syracuse.
On the football side of things, this writer believes the LSU game inches out the Georgia game for the title of “most dangerous” on the Gators’ schedule.
July 2nd, 2009 9:52 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here’s your Auburn news for the day:
This notes column reveals that Auburn now has seven quarterbacks on their roster.
Here’s a profile of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, the man who’ll have to find a starter out of those seven QBs.
Auburn finished sixth in the SEC’s all-sports race this year.
There were several Tigers on the SEC’s spring honor roll, but I don’t see a whole lot of football or basketball players on the list, do you?
July 2nd, 2009 9:46 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Just a couple of quick notes from Alabama this morning:
The Crimson Tide athletic department trailed only South Carolina and Georgia in terms of athletes making the SEC’s spring academic honor roll.
On the field, Alabama ranked fifth in the SEC’s all-sports race.
July 2nd, 2009 9:37 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Our first post of the day and we’ve got two stars beside this item… one, because it’s the first arrest of a Vandy player (that I can recall) since we started this site and two, because it involves someone named “Cabbagestalk.”
Incoming freshman lineman Justin Cabbagestalk was arrested Tuesday night and charged with felony burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
The arrest took place in his homestate of Florida, in Tampa. A police spokesperson said “It appears as though nothing was taken.”
Sounds more like a breaking and entering charge than a burglary charge to me, but I’m no lawyer.
No word yet from Vandy coach Bobby Johnson.
July 1st, 2009 12:22 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
With Bruce Pearl’s new contract extension announced yesterday, Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun decided to dive right into the fact that SEC coaches aren’t exactly feeling the same economic pinch as their schools and fans.
You can click right here to see how coaches like Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl justify their big dollar deals.
But just for the sake of raw data, here are the current SEC’s coaches’ average annual salaries:
1. John Calipari, Kentucky, $3.9 million
2. Billy Donovan, Florida, $3.5 million
3. Bruce Pearl, Tennessee, $2.4 million
4. Anthony Grant, Alabama, $1.8 million
5. Mark Fox, Georgia, $1.3 million
6. Trent Johnson, LSU, $1.2 million
7. Rick Stansbury, Miss. State, $1.2 million
8. Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt, $981,000
9. Darrin Horn, South Carolina, $800,000
10. Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss, $800,000
11. John Pelphrey, Arkansas, $795,000
12. Jeff Lebo, Auburn, $750,000
And just for kicks, taking last year’s wins and this year’s salaries, we provide you with an idea of what each coach makes per victory (minus Calipari, Grant and Fox, of course):
Billy Donovan, Florida, $140,000.000
Bruce Pearl, Tennessee, $114,285.71
John Pelphrey, Arkansas, $56,785.71
Rick Stansbury, Miss. State, $52,173.91
Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt, $51,631.57
Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss, $50,000.00
Trent Johnson, LSU, $44,444.44
Darrin Horn, South Carolina, $38,095.23
Jeff Lebo, Auburn, $31,250.00
July 1st, 2009 11:46 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Wanted to bring you a few other news items and opinion pieces from across the conference in one big post… so here goes:
The US Senate will hold a hearing next week to look into antitrust issues regarding the Bowl Championship Series. (Which is a colossal waste of time and taxpayer money and these buffoons should take it right in the ballot box because of it.)
And that means you, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. Hatch has actually penned a piece for Sports Illustrated on the topic.
Harry King of The Northwest Arkansas Morning News believes — like everyone else in the South — that the SEC will be much stronger in basketball next season.
Chris Low of ESPN.com thinks that Tennessee fans should be hopeful because of the number of playmakers Monte Kiffin has on defense… but they should be concerned about scoring points.
Seth Emerson of The State in Columbia has put together his own ranking of the SEC’s projected signal-callers. You can read his explanations right here, but his list is as follows:
1. Tim Tebow, Florida
2. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss
3. Jordan Jefferson, LSU
4. Joe Cox, Georgia
5. Ryan Mallet, Arkansas
6. Greg McElroy, Arkansas
7. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina
8. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee
9. Mike Hartline, Kentucky
10. Tyson Lee, Mississippi State
11. Kodi Burns, Auburn
12. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt
Ole Miss offensive lineman John Jerry comes in at #20 in The Gainesville Sun’s countdown of the SEC’s best players.
And finally, Edward Aschoff of The Sun has broken down ESPNU’s “150 Watch List” for 2010 football recruits and found that Florida’s six commitments from the list are equal with SEC rivals Georgia and LSU.
July 1st, 2009 11:27 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Florida’s State Attorney’s office offered Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins a deferred prosecution for resisting arrest during a fight in May… and Jenkins has taken it.
Jenkins will receive six months of probation, have to pay about $200 in costs, and will have to do 15 hours of community service.
You might recall that Jenkins was arrested and tasered when he refused to back down in a fight with five other people. He was charged with resisting arrest and “affray.” The affray charge was dropped as part of the deferred prosecution agreement.
If Jenkins minds his p’s and q’s, he’ll face no further charges for the incident.
Jenkins attorney had this to say of the agreement: “The truth is, I feel as though he didn’t really do anything wrong here. I don’t want to get into a big contest with (the Gainesville Police Department). Let’s just say this is a compromise as far as I’m concerned. This is being inside the 20-yard line and settling for three.”
July 1st, 2009 11:20 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Florida tidbits for the day:
Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun studies the Gators’ football schedule and sees road games at Mississippi State and South Carolina as “potential bumps in the road.”
This writer believes all the talk about Florida’s 24 arrests is just a simple by-product of UF’s success. But that doesn’t mean they should gripe about the coverage those arrests have generated.
July 1st, 2009 11:09 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are the top stories from Lexington:
The rumor mill swirled for about 24 hours, but in the end, highly sought after basketball recruit Xavier Henry is sticking with his selection of Kansas and is not heading to Kentucky.
In football news, defensive coordinator Steve Brown wants the Cats’ D to continue to improve… despite the loss of some key personnel.
July 1st, 2009 10:54 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are a couple of nuggets from Knoxville today:
A large rock that has become a part of Tennessee’s football tradition is being moved to a new spot after 40 years. (You know it’s July when the moving of a rock makes headlines.)
Rumors are swirling that Tennessee will trot out a black football jersey this year… even though athletic director Mike Hamilton tells our friend Jimmy Hyams that it ain’t happening.
July 1st, 2009 10:28 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Just a couple of Arkansas notes for today:
The dismissal of reserve linebacker Khiry Battle (for his second arrest in two months) means that a pair of incoming freshmen will need to step up in a hurry this fall.
New Razorback offensive lineman Colby Berna has wanted to play for the Hogs since Clint Stoerner hit Anthony Lucas with a game-winning pass against Tennessee in 1999.
Bobby Petrino just isn’t a Twitter-er.
July 1st, 2009 10:22 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Alabama juco basketball signee Charvez Davis is already in Tuscaloosa and enrolled in classes. In fact, he’s already been working out with former Crimson Tide guard Brian Williams.
“He taught me a lot of things about the college life and showed me some stuff I would need for the next level.”
July 1st, 2009 10:19 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs recently sat down for a Q&A with Andrew Gribble of The Opelika-Auburn News. The main focus of the interview was on AU’s finances, but a number of interesting topics did come up. Among them:
* Jacobs admits that season ticket sales are currently a little bit behind Auburn’s normal pace. Part of that is certainly economy-driven, but it also — to an extent — shows that Gene Chizik still isn’t viewed as a world class hire.
* Auburn’s AD also said that the Tigers are “a couple years away” from where they want to be.
* Finally, when asked about the fans who want to be satisfied now, Jacobs responded as follows:
“That’s the business we’re in. Nobody knows anything about delayed gratification — that’s the business we’re in. One of the greatest things about all of us as Auburn fans is our passion for Auburn. We want to win and want to be successful. I just know because I’ve been here over 20-something years and I’ve seen this program, I just know that we’re a couple years away from being the caliber team that we should be — what all of us as Auburn people expect and deserve.”
I just find it interesting that an AD responsible for firing a coach who literally had ONE bad year is now talking about a world of instant gratification. I guess he knows what he’s talking about.
July 1st, 2009 10:07 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Paul Gattis of The Huntsville Times believes John Calipari is the SEC’s first “rock star” hire in basketball since Rick Pitino entered the league. Not surprisingly, it was flagship program Kentucky that made both of those moves.
As Mr. Gattis correctly points out, SEC basketball coaches are usually “an old alumn or a young up-and-comer.” Pitino was an exception. So is Calipari.
“SEC basketball could be headed into unchartered waters with Calipari at the helm. And with the new ESPN tv contract, the spotlight on the stage is awaiting.”
And, oh yeah, just to keep UK fans grounded, Mr. Gattis also adds this observation: “The Wildcats are giong to win and win big — presumably, given Calipari’s track record, a step ahead of the NCAA posse.”
July 1st, 2009 9:52 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Three former college quarterbacks have lawsuits on the table claiming that the NCAA has illegally used their likenesses in EA Sports’ NCAA Football video game franchise.
As you probably know if you play this (or any other college games), while the digital players have the same build, skin color, and skill sets of their real human counterparts, they due not have a name attached to the back of their jerseys.
Florida’s quarterback, for example, might be a bulky, white kid with the ability to pass accurately and run like a fullback, but his jersey would read only “QB #15.” It’s not a far leap to figure out that that little guy is the digital version of Tim Tebow.
Here’s the issue at stake for the NCAA: currently, the organization makes big bucks from EA Sports for the use school names, colors, stadiums and player likenesses… but if any of the players’ lawsuits are successful, the NCAA and EA Sports might have to cut the players in for a piece of the action.
Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what should happen. That said, there’s no feasible way to actually pay thousands of college athletes, so don’t expect the NCAA to start cutting checks anytime soon.
There are, however, other possible compromises. Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News provides an excellent overview of the litigation facing the NCAA and the video game maker, as well as those aforementioned payment options.
July 1st, 2009 9:41 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Starting the day with a pair of recruiting stories on the front page. Prob’ly ’cause there’s not much else going on today.
Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register tackles the in-state recruiting battle between Alabama and Auburn in his latest column.
It should be no surprise that Nick Saban and Alabama have commitments from seven of The Press-Register’s Elite 18 prospects. Auburn has just three.
But as Mr. Herndon points out, there are a couple of uncommitted players on the list who seem to be leaning toward Auburn.
In other words, Gene Chizik might be holding his own against Saban and the Tide. And in other, other words expect to see more limos rolling across the state of Alabama next spring.
July 1st, 2009 8:24 am ║ Posted By: Josh Ward ║ Permalink ║
Man has there been a lot of attention on Eric Berry’s little brother, Evan Berry.
If you haven’t seen the story, Rivals.com recently wrote that Evan has committed to Tennessee, where Eric is a star safety.
Drew Edwards of the Knoxville News Sentinel has looked further into the matter.
Mr. Edwards caught up with James Berry, the father of Eric and Evan (as well as Elliott, Evan’s twin brother). The elder Berry pointed out an inaccuracy with the Rivals story.
First, Evan and Elliott will be in the eighth grade this fall, not the ninth grade. That would make them members of the 2014 class, not 2013. James Berry said he was surprised to see all the attention surrounding his younger sons.
“I was taken aback,” Berry told the News Sentinel.
So was I. This has been blown way out of proportion. Evan Berry obviously follows UT because his father and older brother have both had standout careers in Knoxville.
Evan, although he’s still very young, is at least a standout athlete for his age. He was asked if he wants to play at UT, and the answer was yes. It doesn’t mean he’ll end up playing for the Vols, but there will be players in the 2010 class that switch their commitments before National Signing Day as well. Why don’t we just rule out the ability for players to “commit” altogether?
UT fans think it’s cool to have Evan committed because they like Eric so much. It would be the same with Florida and Tim Tebow, Georgia with Knowshon Moreno and Alabama with Julio Jones.
Anyway, here are some takes on the issue by writers from across the nation:
ESPN.com’s Chris Low says it’s absurd that kids are committing to colleges before they get to high school. (By the way, UT fans are upset with Mr. Low over the article. Why? He doesn’t say one bad thing about the Vols?)
SI.com’s Andy Staples looks at the great sports families of the future. Some good stuff here.
Mark Hasty of AOL Fanhouse also sees that this is being blown out of proportion.
June 30th, 2009 1:52 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Well this one’s sure to ruffle some feathers.
Chuck Carlton of The Dallas Morning News asserts that the Big 12 (or Big XII if you’re pretentious) appears on the verge of surpassing the SEC as the nation’s best football conference.
Tom Osborne, Nebraska’s athletic director and legendary ex-coach agrees. “We could be there. … (it’s) going to be comparable this year.”
And that’s the issue. The Big 12 is fighting to achieve equality on a one-year basis.
Last season, personally, I believe the Big 12 DID surpass the SEC in overall strength. The SEC suffered a down year due to inexperienced quarterbacks while the folks in the Midwest were loaded with talented signal-callers.
Yet in the end, the SEC champ still beat the Big 12 champ for the national championship.
That said, Mr. Carlton believes the Big 12 has three things going in its favor:
1) Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State are all potential Top 10 teams.
2) Four of the top five vote-getters for last year’s Heisman Trophy came from the Big 12 and two of those players are back (Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy).
3) Seven Big 12 players were selected in the NFL’s first round in April.
So is that last point an argument for the Big 12 this season… or overall? It appears to have more to do with an overall viewpoint than anything that’s going to take place this season.
Not to mention the fact that the SEC once again led all conferences in the total number of players drafted. Which has been the case since roughly the War of 1812.
In a given year, the SEC might not be at the top of the college football world. But if you look over the course of, say, 10 years, you can bet the SEC would be on top in about eight of those seasons.
Of course there’s one very solid, very clear point that supports the “SEC is better” argument: tv dollars.
I’m guessing the folks in the Big 12 would love to have CBS and ESPN offering them a billion dollars. For Big XII fans I was going to use the Roman numeral for billion, but there isn’t one… and I don’t feel like typing the letter M one million times.
So, I’m sorry Big 12ers, but the SEC is the closest thing to the NFL outside of the actual pro game. Other conferences might have a great year from time to time, but year-in and year-out, the SEC is clearly the nation’s best league.
To write anything else is simply an attempt to fill a slow news day in late June.
June 30th, 2009 12:45 pm ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Remember when the rumors were swirling that Bruce Pearl was listening to an offer from Memphis representatives to replace John Calipari?
Remember how Pearl basically disappeared for several hours and even athletic director Mike Hamilton said that he couldn’t reach him?
And remember how after several hours of discussions, it was announced well after business hours that Pearl would be staying at Tennessee?
Well, the contract that the coach is about to sign day was the product of all that intrigue.
Pearl’s salary will increase (to about $1.9 million this year), his buy-out will increase (a biggie for a coach who paid close attention to the dismissal of Phillip Fulmer), and the pool of money for his assistants will rise as well.
June 30th, 2009 11:34 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Yesterday’s basketball teleconference spurred several b’ball preview stories from Southeastern writers this morning, so we’ll start with those:
Alex Abrams of The Northwest Arkansas Morning News takes a look at John Calipari’s 90-day plan and how he’s set the tone for his new program at Kentucky.
Doug Segrest of The Birmingham News writes that Calipari has his coaching rivals abuzz.
Mike Organ of The Tennessean (who probably got kidded a lot in high school) writes that all of those players who turned down the NBA will help turn around the SEC this winter.
Seth Emerson of The State provides a catch-all notes column that covers the good relationship between UK’s incoming point guards, the Cats’ legal battle with Billy Gillispie, the wait in Starkville for news on Renardo Sidney and John Riek, and Trent Johnson’s take on the man who replaced him at Nevada — new Georgia coach Mark Fox.
Mr. Emerson also writes that the return of 44 of the SEC’s 60 starters from last year should make a big difference for the league this season.
Here’s another story covering the conference’s maturation.
The league’s basketball coaches may make a lot of money, but they’re quick to point out just how little job security they have. (Chicken-or-the-egg, gentlemen, chicken-or-the-egg.)
The SEC’s coaches would like to see the NBA’s one-and-done rule changed.
Turning from basketball, I’m not sure how I missed Paul Gattis’ excellent Sunday blog that combined the preseason rankings from Athlon, Lindy’s, The Sporting News and Phil Steele. (The national rankings are listed in parentheses.)
SEC East
1. Florida (1)
2. Georgia (14)
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky
SEC West
1. Ole Miss (5)
2. Alabama (8)
3. LSU (11)
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State
The Gainesville Sun ranks Ole Miss’ “Mr. Everyhing” Dexter McCluster as the SEC’s 21st best player going into the 2009 season.
ESPN.com’s Chris Low writes that Carolina fans should be hopeful because of Ellis Johnson and his defense, yet worried about youth and inexperience everywhere else.
And finally, ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach chimes in on the movie version of Michael Lewis’ best-selling book “The Blind Side,” which focuses on former Ole Miss left tackle Michael Oher.
Specifically, Mr. Schlabach reports on some of the acting skills of Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Houston Nutt, Tommy Tuberville, Phillip Fulmer and Ed Orgeron. An interesting read.
June 30th, 2009 11:03 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Plenty of Alabama stories for you this morning:
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart told a group of Georgia supporters at a weekend speaking engagement that he wore a black shirt in honor of last year’s “blackout” at Sanford Stadium. Zing.
Smart also said that this spring, in the two-minute drill, quarterback Greg McElroy “scored every time against our defense, and we are suppose to have a pretty good defense.”
UA finished #30 in the Sports Directors’ Cup. The world yawns.
But this writer doesn’t yawn… he says Alabama should aim higher. (Not unlike the Air Force.)
Paul Finebaum writes that since UA didn’t require a buyout for Nick Saban, the coach’s new contract “has less teeth than the front row at Neyland Stadium.” An interesting shot at Tennessee fans… from a man who graduated from Tennessee.
In basketball news, Anthony Grant sat down for a Q&A with The Birmingham News.
June 30th, 2009 10:45 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Two quick notes from Baton Rouge today:
When it comes to the Tigers’ 2009-2010 basketball season, expect Tasmin Mitchell to have to carry the load.
LSU’s athletic program finished #9 in the Sports Directors’ Cup standings for last year.
June 30th, 2009 10:38 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
These are your Bulldog stories for Tuesday:
MSU would like to be able to give some of the new SEC tv money to the academic side of the university… but it’s not a sure thing yet.
Rick Stansbury said yesterday that in terms of the NCAA’s inquiry into the amateur status of Renardo Sidney, he had “no understanding and no knowledge of the process.” Yeah, right.
The coach did say that this year’s increased expectations will create better competition within his program.
June 30th, 2009 10:31 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Two Ole Miss notes today:
Of the four guards who suffered serious knee injuries last year, Andy Kennedy says, “two are getting close to being cleared, one is already cleared and the fourth is doing well in his rehab.”
So which school has the worst non-conference football schedule in America? Matt Hayes of The Sporting News says Ole Miss (at Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana, UAB, and Northern Arizona) is the absolute, rock bottom worst.
Mr. Hayes ranks Kentucky 10th, by the way.
June 30th, 2009 10:19 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
A few Georgia notes for you this morning:
For the first time since 1997, Georgia didn’t finish in the Top 15 of the Sports Directors’ Cup (they ranked 18th). This one day after a glowing article was written on Damon Evans excellent five-year start in Athens.
So what did new UGA coach Mark Fox say on yesterday’s SEC teleconference? Read the verbatims right here.
On the football front, this AJC blogger believes the Dawgs’ trips to Knoxville and Atlanta look more difficult than their season-opening trip to Top 15 Oklahoma State.
A Navy blogger takes a look at how poorly Georgia defended former Navy coach Paul Johnson’ option attack last year in their game against Georgia Tech. Not flattering for D-coordinator Willie Martinez.
June 30th, 2009 10:10 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your Gator bites for Tuesday:
Florida’s entire true freshman class is on campus, enrolled in school, and ready for offseason workouts.
Do you care who’ll be rooming with who? Probably not, but here’s some news on that front.
This writer believes Florida’s game with Arkansas is looking more and more dangerous to Gator fans.
In basketball news, the Gator coaching staff would like to play more man defense and press more this season.
It looks like Florida’s last-ditch recruiting efforts have failed and they’ll head into the fall with very, very little depth at point guard.
Some idiot fan asked Billy Donovan the following over the weekend: “We all know the success that you had when you recruited Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer and the rest of that group… why can’t you do that again?” Yeah, those kind of recruiting classes are pulled down by most folks every year. What gives, Coach?
Florida finished #3 in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup race. (Once again Stanford won the top prize… thanks to the fact that Pac-10 schools play about 50 sports — cross-country ballroom dancing, whiffle hockey, synchronized sneezing, etc.)
Finally, did you see where former Gator Percy Harvin was sent home from the the NFL rookie symposium because he was once again sick? Considering his injury history at Florida, the Vikings might have drafted a guy that needs to live in a plastic bubble, a la John Travolta.
June 30th, 2009 9:41 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
These are today’s top Gamecock stories:
Top receiver signee Alshon Jeffery is expected to qualify to play for the Cocks this fall… which beats pumping gas for the rest of his life. Or so they say.
Before Carolina basketball fans start asking, this writer says yes, Darrin Horn HAS signed his contract.
Carolina finished #39 in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings last year.
A South Carolina associate AD who had a big hand in the school’s new seat-donation plan for football has resigned.
Finally, former USC coach Dave Odom was moved by a recent trip to Afghanistan in which he visited with US soldiers.
June 30th, 2009 9:28 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your Tennessee nuggets for the day:
Commitments keep getting younger and younger. Normally, we’d keep this on our Recruiting page (where Josh Ward has already written about it), but when a 13-YEAR-OLD commits, well, we think it’s newsworthy. Of course, in Tennessee’s defense, Evan Berry is the little brother of current Vol Eric Berry and the son of former Vol James Berry.
Former UT great Al Wilson likes what he sees from Lane Kiffin, but that doesn’t mean he’s turning his back on Phillip Fulmer.
Bruce Pearl sounds upbeat about the fact that his team brings “everybody back from a team that had young guards.”
June 30th, 2009 9:19 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Lots of Kentucky headlines this morning:
This writer weighs UK’s chances of snapping a number of ugly streaks in football this fall (haven’t beaten Florida since… haven’t beaten Tennessee since… haven’t beaten Spurrier ever, etc).
In basketball, coaches across the league say that John Calipari will raise the bar in the SEC.
UPDATE — The AP puts forth a similar write-up on how UK’s new coach has energized the conference.
Calipari said yesterday that losing Jodie Meeks to the NBA will hurt, but UK will make do.
Coach Cal also said that the major concern for forward Darius Miller is confidence.
After 90 days on the job, things are starting to slow down for the coach and the Kentucky program.
UPDATE — Here’s a switch… former UK forward Matt Pilgrim might be transferring to Memphis.
Kentucky officials — who are trying to move Billy Gillispie’s lawsuit from Texas to Kentucky — say that the coach still refused to sign his contract even when the cash in the proposed deal exceeded what was called for in the infamous “memorandum of understanding.”
Finally, the Wildcats finished #34 in the national race for the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup.
June 30th, 2009 9:03 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Four players arrested — one of them twice — is enough for Bobby Petrino. Arkansas’ head coach dismissed reserve linebacker Khiry Battle from the Razorback team yesterday.
Battle was arrested early Sunday for a DUI and two other charges. He was arrested in May for failing to appear in court over yet another previous charge.
“Khiry has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules,” Petrino said in a UA release. “Being a member of the Razorback football program requires responsible actions on and off the field.”
June 29th, 2009 11:24 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Today is the start of the second summer school session at the University of Florida and a number of Gator freshmen are showing up on campus.
Included in that group is Percy Harvin-replacement Andre Debose who arrived in Gainesville last Tuesday and looks to immediately start building up his 175-pound frame.
June 29th, 2009 11:20 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Some news, nuggets and notes from across the SEC today:
Chris Low of ESPN.com believes Ole Miss fans should be happy about quarterback Jevan Snead, but worried about how the Rebels handle the pre-season hype.
Bobby Petrino, Houston Nutt, Rich Brooks and Auburn assistant Trooper Taylor have opened up in recent appearances on a Knoxville radio show.
Tommy Hicks of The Mobile Press-Register believes predicting the SEC East race is easy… the SEC West? Not so much.
When you think college basketball recruiting you probably think of the word “dirty.” And when you think about dirty college basketball recruiting you probably think of three letters: A-A-U.
Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer both say that they want to coach again, but this fall you’ll probably find them on the Quarterback Club speaking circuit.
June 29th, 2009 11:14 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your MSU headlines for the day:
ESPN.com has the biggest reason for State fans to be hopeful (strength up the middle on defense) and to be concerned (too much new on offense) heading into the fall.
O’Neal Wilder wants to make his mark as a Bulldog receiver and on State’s track team.
MSU has self-reported a secondary violation involving text messages sent from Dan Mullen to former Florida quarterback Cameron Newton (who is currently at Blinn College in Texas).
Athletic director Greg Byrne wants to have a plan for future facility upgrades in place by this time next year.
June 29th, 2009 11:04 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
This probably won’t surprise anyone, but season tickets sales are ahead of recent years’ pace at Ole Miss.
The Rebels have already sold 35,000 season tickets to date.
With pre-season magazines giving much love to UM, Houston Nutt had better hope that he can deliver. An easy schedule should help, but this still feels a bit like Georgia being ranked as the pre-season #1 last summer.
I just can’t shake the feeling that Reb fans will be upset at year’s end.
June 29th, 2009 10:58 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are a couple of LSU stories for Monday:
Trent Johnson has just 10 players on scholarship heading into next year… even with the return of Tasmin Mitchell.
When it comes to naming an “Athletic Department of the Decade,” this writer believes LSU’s twin national titles in football and in baseball plus a basketball Final Four thrown in should put the Tigers in the mix.
June 29th, 2009 10:43 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Arkansas linebacker Khiry Battle was arrested early Sunday and charged with a DUI. Battle — who is 20 — was also cited for refusing to take a Breathalyzer test and for violating Fayetteville’s noise ordinances.
This is Battle’s second arrest since May. His last arrest came for failing to appear in court on a previous charge.
Battle joins defensive tackle Lavunce Askew (theft of property), quarterback Ryan Mallett (public intoxication) and linebacker Ryan Powers (shoplifting) as the fourth UA footballer to be arrested in 2009.
No word yet from Bobby Petrino.
June 29th, 2009 10:35 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Two quickies from The Plains today:
New defensive coordinator Ted Roof wants to create a “conservative, stable defense” for the Tigers.
The Opelika-Auburn News continues its series of game-by-game previews for Auburn’s football season, today focusing on Les Miles’ LSU Tigers.
June 29th, 2009 10:31 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
These are your Bama headlines for Monday:
This writer believes Nick Saban shouldn’t worry about negative recruiting from the Rivals and Scouts sites of UA’s rivals.
Defensive coordinator Kirby Smart says the Tide’s biggest concern is “senior leadership.”
Alabama might learn something from the way Florida State is handling their case with the NCAA.
This writer believes that even in the current economy, Saban deserves a raise from Alabama.
June 29th, 2009 10:15 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Here are your Tennessee stories for the day:
Quarterback Jonathan Crompton believes Lane Kiffin has inherited a very mature team.
If Kiffin wants to keep the Vol fanbase energized, this writer believes he needs to land a top-notch quarterback.
New strength coach Aaron Ausmus is glad his career path has led him back to Knoxville.
June 29th, 2009 9:49 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Walk-on punter Eric Davis has paid a traffic fine over an April accident that sent a Columbia parking enforcement official to the hospital with a knee injury.
Davis’ failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk landed him a $236 fine.
Not surprisingly, the 48-year-old he hit wants Davis to help pay for the arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent earlier this month.
June 29th, 2009 9:37 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
These are your UK notes for the day:
Louisville’s Edgar Sosa believes the Wildcats-Cardinals rivalry is going to heat up this year… in part because some people are already chalking up U of L’s trip to Rupp Arena as a loss.
In football news, defensive tackle Corey Peters is ready to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight (and other such cliches).
The Wildcats’ highly-regarded pair of freshmen quarterbacks are almost inseparable.
Several other incoming UK players are already on campus and enrolled in school.
Is it possible that Rich Brooks ranks second only to Bear Bryant among Kentucky’s last 10 football coaches?
June 29th, 2009 9:19 am ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║
Two quick headlines from Georgia for you:
Damon Evans is getting kudos — even from Florida AD Jeremy Foley — for the job he’s done in his first five years as Georgia’s athletic director.
Georgia is increasing it’s athletic budget for 2009-2010, but some of that cash is being earmarked as a gift back to the university.
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