SEC Football
1. Johnny Manziel gets a speeding ticket and a Texas judge takes to Facebook to publicize the case. The judge, Lee Johnson, is a Baylor alum and could be in trouble for posting the information.
2. The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am thought about inviting Manziel but apparently backed off when they discovered it would have cost the Texas A&M quarterback close to $20,000 to pay the entry fee or run afoul of NCAA rules.
3. Manziel on the new generation of NFL quarterbacks: “Watching them you see some of the things that have changed in the NFL, with the read option and where (teams) can do some things with a mobile quarterback.”
4. Collateral damage from the Manti Te’o case hits South Carolina. Fake Jadeveon Clowney Twitter account creates a stir. South Carolina officials informed Twitter about the account Wednesday night.
5. Bret Bielema has completed his staff at Arkansas – hires Kansas State assistant Michael Smith to be the Razorbacks receivers coach.
6. Florida coach Will Muschamp on the departure of Dan Quinn and the promotion of D.J. Durkin to defensive coordinator: “D.J. and I will run the defense, continuing the way that Dan and I did for the past two years.”
7. A busy Mark Stoops at Kentucky: ”There have been some moments when you sit back and (it’s like), wow,”
8. Three walk-ons now have scholarships at Tennessee – unofficial number of scholarship players now totals 69.
9. Could the SEC have 11 or 12 bowl teams in 2013?
NFL Draft Prospects
10. Departing Auburn running back Onterio McCalleb will play in the Senior Bowl - marking three straight weeks he’ll play in all-star games.
11. Four Texas A&M players will participate in all-star games. The East-West Shrine Game and the Raycom All-Star Classic are Saturday with the Senior Bowl a week later.
12. Aggies running back Christine Michael, who butted heads with coach Kevin Sumlin and saw little playing time his senior year, is impressing scouts at East-West Shrine Game practice. “Michael has been the top back in practices.”
13. Even before the girlfriend hoax story emerged, Manti Te’o's draft stock was plunging. Gil Brandt: “In that game against Alabama, this was like a guy who was the best shooter in the world in basketball and here comes a game and he can’t even hit the backboard.
14. Mel Kiper on Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree: “I think he could certainly be top 10-12. I have him 13 right now, but by the time the combine workout is over, he could end up in the top 10.”
15. Kiper on 2014 draft prospect Aaron Murray: “I think you’re looking at maybe a second-round pick.”
College News
16. Penn State coach Bill O’Brien wins the Bear Bryant Award. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin and Vanderbilt coach James Franklin were finalists.
17. Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie about the late Penn State coach.
18. Former Alabama great and ex-Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom is the new running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans.
19. Cowboys have talked to Houston Nutt about joining the staff.
20. Big East football will have 10 teams and eliminate divisions this year.
21. NCAA president Mark Emmert: ”It turns out we know how to write rules. One of the problems is sometimes we write lots and lots and lots of rules.”
22. Kevin Scarbinsky: “Te’o is, at best, a gullible sap, and at worst, a willing participant in the most sophisticated hoax college football’s ever seen.”
23. This is perhaps the goofiest “non-sports” sports story we’ve experienced since Tonya Harding. Report: Ronaiah Tuiasosopo has admitted to the hoax.
SEC Basketball
24. Missouri forward Laurence Bowers likely to miss Saturday’s game at Florida- has sprained MCL in his right knee.
25. “The Tigers often look like a team comprised of one holdover and numerous transfers, which is close to being what they are.”
26. In their last 19 conference games spread across basketball, football and baseball – Tennessee is 1-18.
27. Since 2000, LSU has lost their first three conference games five times.
28. Arkansas beat Auburn Wednesday night but it was a disappointing performance for Razorbacks forward Hunter Mickelson. Mike Anderons’ message: “He’s got to have short-term memory and get back in practice and come with it.”
29. ESPN ranks the SEC 1-to-14 – from Florida to Georgia.
30. Ron Morris pays tribute to Carolina Coliseum – “back when basketball games were played in basketball barns.”
Extra
31. “Catfishing” is a pretty common occurrence. ”It’s been going on for a while, and I think it just hit the tipping point.”
