SEC 2010 Football

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Here's a breakdown of the SEC from Rivals.

Signing Day Blitz: Ranking the SEC
1. Florida
Headliner: The Gators went to California to land the country's top prospect in the athletic defensive end Ronald Powell.
Sleeper: Darrin Kitchens is a great athlete that projects as a linebacker.
Overview: This is a defensive recruiting class for the ages. Florida landed the top three defensive line prospects in the nation in DE Ronald Powell, DT Sharrif Floyd and DT Dominique Easley. DT Leon Orr and DE Lynden Trail have serious upside. The secondary is loaded with athletes, especially safeties Matt Elam and Jonathan Dowling and cornerbacks Joshua Shaw, Jaylen Watkins and Cody Riggs. On the other side of the ball, Florida landed a big-time back in Mack Brown and playmaking receivers in Chris Dunkley, Quinton Dunbar and Solomon Patton. Offensive tackles Chaz Green and Ian Silberman each have a high ceiling. All told, Florida landed five five-star prospects and 11 members of the Rivals100.
2. Auburn
Headliner: Running back Michael Dyer headlines this talented recruiting class.
Sleeper: Offensive tackle Ed Christian has a chance to shine for the Tigers.
Overview: This is a class that is balanced from top to bottom. The Tigers landed a five-star QB in junior college transfer Cameron Newton. Another five-star signee is running back Michael Dyer, a small but powerful back. Auburn did very well at wide receiver, landing Jeremy Richardson, Antonio Goodwin and Trovon Reed. Auburn added another five-star prospect along the offensive front in Shon Coleman. The defense is led by tackle Jeffrey Whitaker, ends Corey Lemonier and Craig Sanders and linebackers LaDarius Owens and Jake Holland. Defensive backs Jonathon Mincy and Demetruce McNeal are talented as well. Auburn did much better with in-state recruiting, and it also landed some big-time players from Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia.
3. Alabama
Headliner: Demarcus Milliner is a very talented, "bigger" cornerback that's headed to Tuscaloosa.
Sleeper: Deion Belue is a playmaker on either side of the ball.
Overview: This is another rip-roaring class for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. No one in the land signed a better group of defensive backs. Alabama landed another five-star in standout DeMarcus Milliner, as well as high four-star prospects like cornerbacks Dequan Menzie and John Fulton and safety Jarrick Williams. Alabama did well up front, especially with defensive ends Alfy Hill and Adrian Hubbard. Linebacker C.J. Mosley is a player that can find the football in a hurry. Quarterback Phillip Sims leads the offensive class, and he is one of the nation's best at his position. The Tide landed a little thunder and lightning with the signatures of Jalston Fowler and Corey Grant. Wide receiver DeAndrew White and tight end Brian Vogler lead this group of pass catchers. Alabama closed on the offensive line with Arie Kouandjio.
4. LSU
Headliner: Spencer Ware is a big-time athlete that's headed to Baton Rouge.
Sleeper: Linebacker D.J. Welter is one of many to keep a close eye in the future.
Overview: The LSU recruiting machine continues to roll with the 2010 class. Tigers coach Les Miles brought in another impressive haul. This LSU class is led by five-star athlete Spencer Ware. He should shine at running back for the purple and gold. Linebacker D.J. Welter, running backs Brandon Worle and Alfred Blue and defensive end Houston Bates are some three-stars that could really shine for Miles and company. Defensive end J.R. Ferguson, wide receiver Kadron Boone and linebacker Jarrett Fobbs were big Signing Day gets for the Tigers. Other big-time prospects include defensive end Justin Maclin, tight end Travis son, running back Jakhari Gore, quarterback Zach Lee, wide receiver James Wright, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, offensive tackle Evan Washington and athlete Ronnie Vinson.
5. Tennessee
Headliner: Five-star wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers was an absolute steal in the end for coach Derek Dooley and his Vols.
Sleeper: Marcques Dixon was a good late get for the Vols. He brings some serious speed to Knoxville.
Overview: New Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and his staff did a very good job considering the cir stances they inherited. First, Dooley kept all the early enrolles in Knoxville. That was a recruiting coups that gave Dooley a ton of early credibility. The Vols landed their quarterback of the future in Tyler Bray. Running back Rajion Neal, wide receivers Da'Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter, offensive linemen James Stone and Jawuan James, defensive ends Jacques Smithand Corey Miller, wide receiver/safety Ted Meline and linebacker Eddrick Loften are all big-time recruits.
6. Georgia
Headliner: Defensive end T.J. Stripling should thrive in the new Georgia defense.
Sleeper: Demetre Baker is a smaller linebacker that can really run. He should remind many Bulldogs fans of Rennie Curran.
Overview: Rivals100 safety Alec Ogletree is a star in the making that will likely grow into a linebacker. The Bulldogs did well along the defensive front by landing Mike Thornton, Jalen Fields, Brandon Burrows, Garrison Smith, Dexter Morant and T.J. Stripling. That's the core of this Mark Richt class. Other standouts are running back Ken Malcome, cornerback Derek Owens, and offensive guard Kolton Houston. Offensive tackle prospect Brent Benedict is one of the most talented players at his position.
7. Ole Miss
Headliner: Carlos Thompson is an elite defensive end prospect headed to Oxford.
Sleeper: Linebacker Clarence Jackson is a two-way standout that's very athletic and has good speed.
Overview: Houston Nutt and his Rebels cracked the top 25 with another strong close. There are plenty of talented players in the class, but this group is led by defensive end Carlos Thompson. Ole Miss did very well in the junior college ranks, pulling defensive end Wayne Dorsey, safety Damien Jackson and athlete Randall Mackey. Once again, the Rebels hit south Florida and landed cornerback Cliff Coleman and running back Jeff Scott. A couple of sleepers to keep a close eye on are running back/fullback Martez Eastland and linebacker Clarence Jackson. Two defensive tackles to watch are Carlton Martin and Mike Thomas. Like last season, the Rebels closed with a bang. This year they landed defensive end Delvin Jones, cornerback Tony Grimes, wide receiver Vincent Sanders and linebacker Ralph Williams.
8. South Carolina
Headliner: Running back Marcus Lattimore is a versatile talent at running back. He is the kind of special player at the position that Steve Spurrier has been desperate to find.
Sleeper: Offensive guard/center prospect Tramell Williams has a chance to be an outstanding interior offensive line prospect in Columbia.
Overview: The Game s landed a little bit of everything with this class. Leading the way is five-star running back prospect Marcus Lattimore. He can run and catch, and should be an ideal fit. Another good fit will be quarterback Connor Shaw. He doesn't have the biggest arm in the world, but Spurrier should love the intangibles he brings to the table. Other standouts are wide receiver Ace Sanders, offensive linemen A.J. Cann and Tramell Williams, defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, cornerbacks Victor Hampton and Brison Williams and safety Sharrod Golightly. Wide receiver Javon Bell from Jacksonville was a nice late addition.
9. Mississippi State
Headliner: Kaleb Eulls has great size and length at the defensive end position.
Sleeper: Defensive back Jamerson Love looked very good during the Alabama/Mississippi all-star game.
Overview: The Bulldogs landed a quartet of four-star prospects in defensive tackle James Carmon, athlete Robert Johnson, defensive end Kaleb Euless, and wide receiver Michael Carr. No doubt Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is attracting some athletes to Starkville. Players like Johnson, Carr, Brandon Hill, Jameon Lewis, and Matthew Wells are likely in the fold because of the new regime. Linebackers Ferlando Bohanna and Corvell Harrison and defensive backs Chris Hughes and Jamerson Love should bolster the Bulldogs defense. Offensive tackle Damien Robinson was a big-time signee for the Bulldogs.
10. Arkansas
Headliner: Arkansas won a huge Signing Day battle over Oklahoma State for defensive tackle Calvin Barnett.
Sleeper: He didn't have a lot of buzz, but Luke Charpentier is a terrific OL from the Bayou State.
Overview: Bobby Petrino's 2010 class is loaded with athletes - of the big and small variety. At 6-2 and 265 pounds, Jatashun Beachum is one of the nation's most intriguing big man. What position he'll play is the big question because he is so versatile. Safety Daunte Carr fell to Hogs from Stanford. Defensive linemen Calvin Barnett, Bryan Jones and Jeremiah Jackson are very good. Florida prospects Joseph Byrd and Marquel Wade are two underrated players from the Sunshine State.
11. Kentucky
Headliner: The headliner here is tight end Alex Smith, who the Wildcats pulled very late.
Sleeper: Raymond Sanders got overlooked in Georgia because of the great depth at the running back position.
Overview: The Wildcats got a big one on signing day when they turned four-star tight end Alex Smith away from North Carolina. Then they pulled some very good recruits in the end. Athlete Jerrell Priester, running backs Brandon Gainer and Miles Simpson and linebacker Tim Patterson joined the fold late. The Wildcats have a solid defensive end class, which is led by Mike Douglas. He is a steal from the Sunshine State. Cornerback Dale Trimble, linebacker Jabari Johnson and running back Raymond Sanders are all sleeper-type recruits. Kentucky went to 10 states to land prospects for their class.
12. Vanderbilt
Headliner: Running back Rajaan Bennett was a huge, late pull for the Vandy class. He is one of the top running backs from the south.
Sleeper: You have to love to motor of defensive tackle Jared Morse.
Overview: This could be the top Vanderbilt class in many years. The Commodores set their sights on Georgia and landed nine Peach State prospects in the end, highlighted by running back Rajaan Bennett. Vandy went to New Jersey to get defensive tackle James Kittredge, Alabama to get Jared Morse, Florida to nab Thomas Ryan, Mississippi to ink Vince Taylor and Virginia to sign Andre Simmons.

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Chili? Romad? Dirk? Anybody else have thoughts on the recruiting classes or the upcoming season?

I'll be posting articles here and other stuff over the offseason


I think Tenn and Dooley closed really well considering the whole Kiffin fiasco

Ole Miss and Miss St had solid classes, helping to pave the way for a nightmarish western division in the years to come. IMO, there really won't be any weak teams.

Florida is ing ridiculous. Another unbelievable class, even with Urban Meyers future in question. (No more Tebow....Wooooohoooo)

UGA running an attack 3-4?

USCe to become a run focus team with Lattimore under the ole' ball coach?

Kentucky looking good again, no more a doormat.

Arkansas should be much better with QB Ryan Mallett returning.

Alabama, well, being Alabama. Top notch recruiting class and defending SEC/Natty champion

LSU with another good class, but can they get the offense going?

Can Auburn maintain their momentum?

Will Vandy get any better like many thought they would (me included) last year?

No shortage of stuff to talk about. Will start to ramp up again around spring practice when we can start to get an idea of what kind of team will take the field come kickoff.

[romad_20]

I'm curious as to what the new 3-4 will look like. Good luck to Ok, Willie Martinez is your problem now, although he is only DB coach there. (which is what he's good at)

It hurt losing Da'Rick Rodgers to Tenn, but understandable. He has a chance to start there right away and would have been red shirted at UGA. We picked up some good recruits and having a top 5 class hasn't put us over the top anyway, so I don't put so much stock in it until they get on the field. David Pollock was an unranked fullback when he came to Georgia.

Its fun to watch Florida have the kind of offseason its having. Top recruiting class or not, they've got some stuff brewing with Meyer flip flopping ever other week about his future and Edwards bolting on them the day after signing day.

The rest I've been laying low about. Don't ever really get a chance to follow high school recruits too much out here in Austin and I'm finishing school (13 ing years later )and trying to find a new job in this garbage economy. Right around July the college football juices will get flowin' again.

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looks like chizik is really doing the damn thing in the recruiting department down in auburn

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looks like chizik is really doing the damn thing in the recruiting department down in auburn

He definitely is. Trooper Taylor, Tracy Rocker, Curtis Luper, Gus Malzahn, and Ted Roof get a ton of credit too. They were able to close on kids who had big schools after them, most notably Shon Coleman.

I'm still just a bit hesitant though. A lot of these blue chip kids are coming in looking at playing significant snaps next near, and that's not ideal for a consistent, championship contending team. When the depth chart gets a bit deeper will Auburn be able to continue to get these top-notch players in the numbers they did this year? The way teams like UT, UF, Bama, USC do? I hope so, but there will have to be a lot of success on the field for that to happen.


UTs class was sick. 11 kids that run a 4.5 or lower?! LOL, that's pretty ridiculous. Team speed. Very strong WR class.

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I'm curious as to what the new 3-4 will look like. Good luck to Ok, Willie Martinez is your problem now, although he is only DB coach there. (which is what he's good at)

I love the 3-4. It's the most versatile deensive set, IMO. You have to have a ton of LBs though, and in most cases it would take time to recruit them. I don't think that's the case with UGA though, since they recruit so well and seem to have good depth.

It hurt losing Da'Rick Rodgers to Tenn, but understandable. He has a chance to start there right away and would have been red shirted at UGA. We picked up some good recruits and having a top 5 class hasn't put us over the top anyway, so I don't put so much stock in it until they get on the field. David Pollock was an unranked fullback when he came to Georgia.

Tennessee is in the same position as Auburn. They were thin in a lot of areas, and you're right, he will probably see early playing time. I have to give Dooley credit for coming in and salvaging that class.

Its fun to watch Florida have the kind of offseason its having. Top recruiting class or not, they've got some stuff brewing with Meyer flip flopping ever other week about his future and Edwards bolting on them the day after signing day.

Drama. Meyer is is a weird situation. I think the class they had represents the school and the program more than anything else. With their recent success it's not hard to woo recruits.

The rest I've been laying low about. Don't ever really get a chance to follow high school recruits too much out here in Austin and I'm finishing school (13 ing years later )and trying to find a new job in this garbage economy. Right around July the college football juices will get flowin' again.

Good luck with the job search. I'm getting transferred to Lexington Ky, so i'll be back down south. The only good part of that is it's cheaper, and I'll get to see the Tigers when they play next year in Lexington. And southern women, can't forget that.

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Running back Rajaan Bennett, one of Vanderbilt's top-rated signees for the 2010 class, was killed early Thursday morning in an apparent murder-suicide at the family's home in Powder Springs, Ga.


A Tearful Tragedy for Vanderbilt

The death of Rajaan Bennett in an apparent murder-suicide hurts so many people -- in his family, at his high school and at Vanderbilt, where teammates and fans won't get to know just how special a player and person he was, writes Chris Low.



The Atlanta Journal-Cons ution first reported the story on its Web site.
Police responded to a 911 call about 2:30 a.m. ET on Thursday from Bennett's home. When they arrived about four minutes later, they heard gunshots, Powder Springs police Maj. Charles Spann told the Journal-Cons ution.
Two people ran from the house following the gunshots, including Bennett's mother, Narjaketha Bennett, and her brother, Taiwan Hunter, who had been shot. Both were hysterical, police said.
The Cobb County SWAT team was called to the scene, and officers found two people who had been shot and killed inside the home: Bennett, 18, and Clifton O'Neal Steager, 39, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, according to Powder Springs police Lt. Matt Boyd.
Police said Hunter, 32, was wounded and is in surgery.
Steager was later identified as a former boyfriend of Bennett's mother, Narjaketha Bennett.
Bennett, listed at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, rushed for 1,857 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior at McEachern High School and led his team to an unbeaten regular season. He was recruited by several SEC schools, including Kentucky and Tennessee, before choosing Vanderbilt.




"All of us at Vanderbilt are devastated by news of Rajaan's death. This is just so tragic to everybody who knew and loved Rajaan," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "Initially, our thoughts and prayers are with his mother, Narjaketha, and family members. I know he meant so much to them.

"Rajaan was an extraordinary young man and an ideal fit for Vanderbilt University. As we got to know Rajaan, it became very clear to our coaches that he was a better person than he was an athlete," Johnson said. "He was a leader, a young man who gained the respect of the entire community at McEachern High School."
Bennett was rated as a three-star prospect by ESPN's Scouts Inc., and as the 25th best player in The Atlanta Journal-Cons ution's Fab 50, which was published earlier this month. Bennett's high school coach, Kyle Hockman, said Bennett was one of the best kids he's ever coached.
"I'm sure you want to talk about Rajaan on the football field, but I promise he's a better person than he is a player," Hockman said when Bennett signed with Vanderbilt. "He has a great head on his shoulders, a guy that has been the man in his household for quite a while, yet still worked to maintain a solid GPA in class and become such a great player.
"Rajaan is both humble and hard working. He's a guy that is very respected by his teammates and the McEachern community. I think the world of this young man," Hockman said.
This is the second murder that has rocked the Vanderbilt football program during Johnson's tenure as coach. Former running back Kwane Doster was shot and killed in December of 2004 while sitting in the back seat of a friend's car in Tampa, Fla.
Doster had just finished his junior season at Vanderbilt. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year two seasons earlier after rushing for 798 yards.

[romad_20]

Just read that. Sad day for Vandy. Johnson a damn good coach and runs a good program, he was breaking down in the press conference. I just don't understand these people, if you want to end your life, fine, but don't kill a 18 year old kid with a future.

[romad_20]

And southern women, can't forget that.

You're damn right. Austin has its share, but I really miss that southern drawl. My wife is German from Dallas, so no luck on that for me

[symple19]

Just read that. Sad day for Vandy. Johnson a damn good coach and runs a good program, he was breaking down in the press conference. I just don't understand these people, if you want to end your life, fine, but don't kill a 18 year old kid with a future.

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From ESPN

What to watch in the SEC West this spring
February, 22, 2010
FEB 22
11:00
AM ET
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By Chris Low
Here’s a breakdown of some of the issues facing each SEC West team heading into the spring:

ALABAMA

Spring practice starts: March 12

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:
Retooling the secondary -- The Crimson Tide are losing three starters in the secondary, and another guy who played a good bit last season, safety Robby Green, is in limbo. The battle for the two starting cornerback spots this spring will be fierce. Sop re Dre Kirkpatrick has star potential with his combination of talent and swagger. Coveted freshman signees DeMarcus Milliner and John Fulton both enrolled early and will go through spring practice, while sop re B.J. Scott will also get a shot at one of the three starting positions in Alabama’s nickel defense along with LSU transfer Phelon Jones, who already has SEC experience. Junior college newcomer DeQuan Menzie arrives this summer, so there will be a bunch of new faces in the Alabama secondary next fall. And with Green’s eligibility in question, another guy to watch at safety is sop re Robert Lester, a teammate of Julio Jones’ in high school. Scott could also play safety if needed.
Cody’s replacement -- Even though Terrence Cody wasn’t an every-down player for Alabama, he was a one-man wrecking crew against the run. Teams simply didn’t run between the tackles against the Crimson Tide. Junior Josh Chapman is the most experienced of the inside guys and played behind Cody the last two seasons. The defensive coaches are eager to get a more extensive look at sop re Kerry Murphy this spring. He may have as much pure talent as anybody up front. He got a late start getting to Alabama because of qualifying issues, but was a big-time recruit. Damion Square is a wild card and can play any position on the defensive line. He’s back after tearing his ACL in the second game, but will be limited this spring.
Special teams makeover -- Don’t underestimate the importance special teams played for Alabama each of the past two seasons. Place-kicker Leigh Tiffin and punter P.J. Fitzgerald both had excellent senior seasons. Freshman place-kicker Cade Foster is already enrolled in school and will show off his leg in the spring. Christian Kauffman is walking on and will be on campus this summer. Freshman punter Jay Williams will be on campus in the summer. Equally important is finding a dynamic return man. How many games did Javier Arenas win for the Crimson Tide the last few seasons? Julio Jones, Dre Kirkpatrick, Trent Richardson, Marquis Maze and Terry Grant are all more than capable candidates. We’ll see who emerges.
ARKANSAS

Spring practice starts: March 30

Spring game: April 24

What to watch:
Playing without Mallett -- It will be sop re Tyler Wilson’s show this spring at quarterback with Ryan Mallett out with a broken bone in his left foot. Wilson will get some help from redshirt freshman Brandon Mitc and true freshman Jacoby Walker, who enrolled early and will also participate in spring practice. Obviously, the Hogs would like to have their main guy under center with everybody getting better around him, but it’s also a chance for Wilson and some of the other quarterbacks to get valuable practice time with the first unit. Having a second-team quarterback who’s ready to step in as opposed to having one who’s in over his head is the difference between saving a season and going belly-up if the starter happens to go down.
Making strides on defense -- The Hogs will be older and more experienced on defense next season, and they’re hopeful that means they will be stingier. Depth at linebacker remains a concern, but the secondary should be better with the return of cornerback Isaac Madison, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. For precautionary reasons, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said he’s not sure how much contact Madison will get this spring. Malcolm Sheppard and Adrian Davis are gone from the defensive line, but Petrino thinks the defensive front will be good. Jake Bequette, Damario Ambrose, Tenarius Wright, Zach Stadther, D.D. Jones, Patrick Jones and Lavunce Askew are all back. Petrino says it’s paramount that the Hogs develop more depth at linebacker this spring, and ultimately, find a way to eliminate the big plays.
Loaded backfield -- It’s no secret that Arkansas is loaded at receiver, but Petrino really likes the potential in the backfield, headlined by sop re Ronnie Wingo Jr. He has track speed and has beefed up to 230 pounds. He’s primed for a breakout season. It’s also a backfield that appears to have all the pieces. Broderick Green is pushing 250 pounds and gives the Hogs that power back down around the goal line, while Dennis Johnson and Knile Davis are guys who can do a little bit of everything. With new offensive line coach Chris Klenakis coming over from Nevada, look for the Hogs to tweak their running game and use a lot of the Pistol formation that was so successful for Klenakis at Nevada.
AUBURN

Spring practice starts: March 22

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:
Linebacker depth -- The Tigers were so thin at linebacker last season that Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens had to play every snap in the overtime win against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Both of those guys are back, and both should be primed for big seasons. But one of the priorities this spring is building some depth around them. Junior Eltoro Freeman should be more consistent in 2010 after coming over from junior college last season. Redshirt freshman Harris Gaston was injured for much of last season, while sop re Jonathan Evans played well late when he was forced into action. Freshman signee Jessel Curry was a midterm enrollee. The rest of the linebacker reinforcements -- LaDarius Owens, Jake Holland and Jawara White -- will be on campus this summer.
Newton stepping in at quarterback -- All signs point to junior college newcomer Cameron Newton being the guy to beat at quarterback. He’ll go through spring practice after signing in December. The 6-foot-6, 247-pound Newton can run and pass, which is what Gus Malzahn is looking for in his spread offense. Redshirt freshman Tyrik Rollison was thought to be the Tigers’ quarterback of the future until his suspension prior to the bowl game last year. Now, his status remains up in the air. Senior Neil Caudle will also get a shot this spring. Remember that Chris Todd sort of came from the back of the pack last season to win the job.
Difference-makers on defense -- Antonio Coleman was the SEC’s sacks leader and tackles for loss leader a year ago, but now he’s gone. Who’s going to take his place when it comes to making the big plays on defense? Senior Antoine Carter is the odds-on favorite at Coleman’s end spot, but the guy the Auburn coaches were really excited about last season was freshman Nosa Eguae, who injured his foot just prior to the season and wound up redshirting. It’s also a big spring for junior tackle Nick Fairley. He made some big plays inside last season after coming over from junior college, but needs to show more consistency. Junior college players are typically much better their second season in the program.
LSU

Spring practice starts: Feb. 25

Spring game: March 27

What to watch:
Finding an iden y on offense -- After last season’s woeful showing, the Tigers have to find an iden y on offense. They weren’t particularly good at anything a year ago and finished 112th nationally in total offense (304.5 yards per game). The first part of that equation this spring will be revving up the running game. Even though Charles Scott and Keiland Williams are both gone, junior Stevan Ridley has all sorts of ability, and senior Richard Murphy will be back after missing most of last season with a knee injury. LSU coach Les Miles also brought in former Florida assistant Billy Gonzalez to be the Tigers’ passing game coordinator. It’s not a talent issue. There’s more than enough talent on LSU’s roster to be one of the top offensive clubs in the league. The key is utilizing that talent properly.
Searching for Russell Shepard -- It’s pretty obvious by now that Shepard isn’t going to be an every-down quarterback at LSU. In fact, don’t be surprised if he takes very few snaps at quarterback this spring. Miles believes Shepard might have been spread too thin last season at all the different positions, which is the reason he’s going to work primarily at running back and receiver this spring. He’s one of the most dynamic athletes on LSU’s roster, and the Tigers have to find a way to get his hands on the ball more than they did during his freshman season. Finding his niche in this offense will be critical this spring.
Jefferson’s next step -- It’s true that quarterback Jordan Jefferson tended to hold onto the ball too long last season, but it’s also true that there were more than a few breakdowns in LSU’s offensive line. The Tigers gave up a staggering 37 sacks. Jefferson has to get a better feel for the pressure this spring, where it’s coming from and when he has to get rid of the ball. The LSU coaches will be looking for him to make a big jump from his sop re to junior season. Either way, redshirt freshman Chris Garrett will get a good look this spring, too. The 6-4, 220-pound Garrett is more of a classic drop-back passer with a big arm.
MISSISSIPPI STATE

Spring practice starts: March 23

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:
Tyler Russell’s stage -- Certainly nobody is going to hand the starting quarterback job to redshirt freshman Tyler Russell, who was one of the prizes of the Bulldogs’ 2009 signing class. But he will get every chance to win the job this spring. Junior Chris Relf isn’t going anywhere and was effective as Mississippi State’s designated running quarterback when he returned from his suspension last season. Still, it’s Russell who has the most upside to be the kind of every-down quarterback Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is looking for in his offense. Mullen didn’t think Russell was ready last season and didn’t push him. We’ll have a better idea of how ready he is after this spring.
Life after Anthony Dixon -- When you take away almost 1,400 yards rushing from an offense, that means somebody waiting in the wings better be really special or that two or three people better be poised to step up and divvy up that production. It’s probably going to be the latter for the Bulldogs, who face the task of replacing Dixon and his 126.5 yards per game. Junior Robert Elliott has the most experience. Freshman Montrell Conner redshirted last season, while junior college newcomer Vick Ballard is in school and will also go through spring practice. Look for sop re receiver Chad Bumphis’ role in this offense to grow exponentially, too. He’s one of those guys who makes plays no matter where you put him.
New iden y on defense -- Mullen brought in Manny Diaz from Middle Tennessee to run the Mississippi State defense along with Chris Wilson from Oklahoma. Wilson will serve as co-defensive coordinator and also coach the defensive line. The Bulldogs finished 11th in the SEC last season in both total defense and scoring defense. There’s some young talent in place defensively, not to mention a dominant presence up front in senior end Pernell McPhee. Diaz’s goal is to bring more of an attacking mentality to Mississippi State’s defense, and that starts this spring. The Bulldogs have a chance to be really good in the secondary when you look at all the young guys who made plays back there last season.
OLE MISS

Spring practice starts: March 27

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:
Overhauling the offense -- With a new coordinator (Dave Rader) and new players at just about every position, the Rebels will take on a different look in 2010. The first order of business is settling on a starting quarterback. Sop re Nathan Stanley is probably in the best position to win the job, but redshirt freshman Raymond Cotton will also get a long look this spring. Don’t count out multipurpose junior college newcomer Randall Mackey once he arrives in the summer, either. With Houston Nutt calling the shots on offense, the running game is always going to be what drives Ole Miss. Dexter McCluster won’t be around to break 70- and 80-yard touchdown runs anymore, which means Brandon Bolden, Rodney Scott, Tim Simon (if he’s healthy) and Enrique Davis will have split up the backfield duties. If Davis is going to make his move, it needs to be this spring.
Sop res stepping up -- Several talented, younger players in the program will need to take that next step if Ole Miss is going to have the kind of success it has during Nutt’s first two seasons in Oxford. In particular, there are a cluster of sop res who showed a lot of promise last season as freshmen. They have to become leaders and prime-time players this coming season. Some of those guys include D.T. Shackelford at linebacker, Jesse Grandy at running back, return specialist or anywhere he can get his hands on the ball and Pat Patterson at receiver. If Patterson matures both on and off the field this spring, he’s got a chance to be Ole Miss’ next great receiver in the mold of Shay Hodge. And on the offensive line, tackle Bobby Massie needs to become a dominant player.
Plugging in Dorsey at end -- The Ole Miss coaches will get their first look at 6-8, 255-pound Wayne Dorsey in their defense this spring. He’s the kind of guy who should fit perfectly into what defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix is looking for from his ends and was a force in junior college as a pass-rusher. Dorsey signed in December and is already enrolled in school. The Rebels had to have an impact player at end after losing Marcus Tillman, Emmanuel Stephens and Greg Hardy. Dorsey was one of the top junior college players in America, and getting him on campus for spring practice was huge.

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...And the East

What to watch in the SEC East this spring
February, 22, 2010
FEB 22
10:00
AM ET
Comment Email Print Share
By Chris Low
Here’s a breakdown of some of the issues facing each SEC East team heading into the spring:

FLORIDA

Spring practice starts: March 17

Spring game: April 10

What to watch:
Meyer’s involvement – Florida coach Urban Meyer says he will be refreshed enough to be back in time for the start of spring practice. That means his leave of absence will have lasted all of a month. It will be interesting to see how involved he is, because Meyer has always been such a hands-on coach in the past. In particular, does he back away from his role as special teams coordinator? Since Meyer arrived at Florida in 2005, the Gators have had some of the best special teams in the country. And with so many new faces on offense next season, special teams and/or field position will be more important than ever. The Gators will lose something if Meyer’s not running the show in the kicking game.
Brantley takes the reins – The Tim Tebow era is over, and now it’s John Brantley’s turn to put his stamp on Florida’s offense. This will be the second spring that he’s gotten a lot of the work with the first-team offense. He was extremely impressive last spring when Tebow was taking it easy with his shoulder. Obviously, Brantley is a different kind of quarterback than Tebow. He’s a pure passer who’s going to beat teams with his arm and not his legs. That’s not to say he’s a statue in the pocket, but he’s also not going to be bulling over safeties on third-and-2. As much as anything, Brantley needs to establish himself as one of the leaders this spring. With Maurkice Pouncey, Riley Cooper and Tebow all gone, new leaders have to emerge on offense.
Finding more playmakers – An even more important story this spring than Brantley taking over is who’s going to have his back on offense. In other words, who can he count on to make plays? Redshirt freshman Andre Debose is certainly a guy the Gators are counting on at receiver after undergoing hamstring surgery last year. Running back Emmanuel Moody will get a chance to be the workhorse on the ground, and Chris Rainey is moving to the slot position, meaning he’ll line up some at running back and some at receiver. Replacing Aaron Hernandez at tight end isn’t going to be easy. Freshman Gerald Christian enrolled early, and he will push redshirt freshmen Jordan Reed and Desmond Parks.
GEORGIA

Spring practice starts: March 4

Spring game: April 10

What to watch:
Quarterback compe ion – With 10 starters coming back on offense, the quarterback race will be where all the drama is this spring at Georgia. Nobody has any meaningful experience to speak of. Junior Logan Gray played in spots last season. He’s a terrific athlete and may be better suited to play another position at some point, but he’s not giving up on quarterback. The two redshirt freshmen, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, both have their strengths. Murray is the more versatile of the two, while Mettenberger is a bigger pocket passer who can really throw it. We’ll see if anybody separates himself this spring or if the compe ion goes into preseason practice. Because of his versatility, Murray is probably the favorite. Mettenberger might still be a year away.
Implementation of the 3-4 – New defensive coordinator Todd Grantham takes over a Georgia defense that gave up big plays and points in bunches the last two seasons. The Bulldogs will shift from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 this spring, meaning some defensive ends will be moving to outside linebacker. The Bulldogs lost three senior defensive tackles, so somebody needs to step forward at nose tackle. DeAngelo Tyson may be the guy there. Justin Houston, who had 7.5 sacks last season, looks like a good fit at outside linebacker after playing end a year ago. Cornelius Washington is another guy who could blossom in the 3-4 as a pass-rusher. He has great speed and was always a bit thin at defensive end.
Replenishing the secondary – The Bulldogs lost three starters in the secondary, including both safeties. The decision by Reshad Jones to turn pro early really hurt their depth. This is a big spring for sop re cornerback Branden Smith, who made more of an impact last season on offense. The top candidates at safety are Baccari Rambo and Jakar Hamilton, a junior college transfer who enrolled early and will go through spring practice. Down the road, top 2010 signee Alec Ogletree will be a factor somewhere, either at safety or linebacker. After finishing 10th in the SEC in pass defense last season and allowing a league-high 25 touchdown passes, the Bulldogs have to improve across the board when it comes to defending the pass.
KENTUCKY

Spring practice starts: March 31

Spring game: April 24

What to watch:
Settling on a quarterback – All eyes will be on the quarterbacks this spring. Morgan Newton finished last season as the starter and struggled through the normal growing pains any true freshman goes through in the SEC. Newton wasn’t very consistent throwing the ball, but the Wildcats were also careful in what they asked him to do. Senior Mike Hartline opened last season as the starter, but went down with a knee injury. He clearly has the most experience. We’ll see how his knee holds up. The third guy in the Wildcats’ quarterback derby is redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski. He tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder toward the end of his senior season in high school and wasn’t healthy enough to compete for the starting job last fall. He is now, though, and might be further along mentally at this stage of his career than any quarterback the Wildcats have had, according to first-year coach Joker Phillips.
Big shoes to fill on defense – Freshman linebacker Qua Huzzie will make his debut after injuring his shoulder in the preseason a year ago. He could be Micah Johnson’s replacement in the middle. Sop res Ridge Wilson and Ronnie Sneed and redshirt freshman Will Johnson are three others who will get a lot of work at linebacker, especially with Sam Maxwell gone. Junior college safety Josh Gibbs is already in school and will get a shot right away in the secondary. Corey Peters was a force at tackle last season. But now that he’s gone, the Wildcats need Shane McCord and Mark Crawford to step up and be every-down players in the middle.
Rebuilding the offensive line – The Wildcats have to replace four starters on the offensive line. The only returning starter is junior guard Stuart Hines, who has All-SEC potential. The good news is that there are seven lettermen returning, so there is some experience. Junior Billy Joe Murphy will probably get first crack at left tackle. He started three games in 2008. Senior Brad Durham, who’s started seven games over the last two seasons, is the front-runner at right tackle. Sop re Larry Warford played some last season as a true freshman and is a good bet to start at the other guard opposite Hines. The center position will be a battle between senior Marcus Davis and sop re Matt Smith, although junior Jake Lanefski could move to center when he returns from a knee injury in August. Lanefski has starting experience as a guard.
SOUTH CAROLINA

Spring practice starts: March 16

Spring game: April 10

What to watch:
Sorting it out in the offensive line – For all the issues that have hounded Steve Spurrier since he took over at South Carolina in 2005, none have plagued him more than the Game s’ inability to consistently get it done in the offensive line. Heading into next season, there’s enough talent in place for the Game s to make a run in the East if they play better up front. Shawn Elliott, who comes over from Appalachian State, steps in as Spurrier’s third offensive line coach in the last three years. He inherits three returning starters, but nothing is set in stone. Some new faces to watch are tackle Rokevious Watkins and guard Nick Allison, both of whom redshirted last season. There’s a chance T.J. Johnson could move to center. However it shakes out, this is the telltale area for the Game s in 2010.
Getting a clear plan on offense – This encompasses so many things, including finding some continuity in the offensive line and getting continued improvement from junior quarterback Stephen Garcia. But the other big component is establishing who the principal play-caller is going to be this fall and getting the chemistry down on the offensive staff. Spurrier has talked about getting better in the running game, but the Game s have to commit to being a better running team, part of which means calling more running plays. Steve Spurrier Jr. has called the bulk of the plays the last two years. And while play-calling on game day can often times be overrated, the guy the South Carolina fans would like to see calling all of the plays is the Head Ball Coach.
Replacing Norwood and Geathers -- Between them, Eric Norwood and Clifton Geathers made their share of big plays for the Game s last season, particularly Norwood. Shaq Wilson will likely move from middle linebacker to Norwood’s weak side spot. Wilson can blitz like a safety, and South Carolina will put in some special blitz packages for him. Reggie Bowens and Tony Straughter are two other guys to watch at that spot. At Geathers’ end position, redshirt freshman Chaz Sutton and sop re Devin Taylor both have a ton of potential. And with Cliff Matthews on the other side, the Game s have a chance to be really good on the defensive line if Sutton and Taylor come through.
TENNESSEE

Spring practice starts: March 18

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:
Quarterback compe ion – If experience in the program counts for anything, then senior Nick Stephens will have a leg up this spring in Tennessee’s starting quarterback compe ion. But for the third straight year, the Vols will have a new guy calling the shots on offense. Derek Dooley takes over the Vols’ program, and Jim Chaney will be his offensive coordinator. Chaney was under-utilized on the previous staff. One of the things Chaney will be looking for from Stephens is increased accuracy. Freshman Tyler Bray will also get a chance to show what he can do this spring. A heralded prospect from California, Bray is already enrolled in school. His first order of business is bulking up and getting stronger. The Vols also brought in junior college newcomer Matt Simms, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Chris Simms.
Finding offensive linemen – The anchor of Tennessee’s offensive line is sop re tackle Aaron Douglas, who was a Freshman All-American in 2009. The only problem is that last season was his first on the offensive line after playing tight end in high school, and he’s the so-called veteran of the unit. He’ll probably shift to left tackle this spring after playing on the right side last season. After Douglas, it’s a scramble. Freshman Ja’Wuan James, who enrolled early and will go through spring practice, will get every chance to win a job. It’s critical for the Vols that JerQuari Schofield and Dallas Thomas have big springs. Tennessee’s going to need both of them to play next season. The center position is a huge mystery. Victor Thomas moved over from defense and could be the answer.
Finding leaders on defense – The backbone of Tennessee’s defense is gone in the form of Eric Berry, Dan Williams and Rico McCoy. All three were defensive playmakers and leaders. As new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox takes over, he’ll be looking for both playmakers and leaders this spring. Senior defensive ends Chris Walker and Ben Martin fit the bill in both areas. Getting Nick Reveiz back at middle linebacker after he tore his ACL last season is also a big lick for the Vols, although he’ll be limited this spring. The secondary is wide open. Not only is Berry gone, but Dennis Rogan turned pro, too. Sop re safety Janzen Jackson is the most talented guy back there. Taking care of business off the field may be his greatest challenge. This is also a big spring for sop re safety Darren Myles Jr., who could be a breakout player for the Vols.
VANDERBILT

Spring practice starts: March 17

Spring game: April 10

What to watch:
Larry Smith has some compe ion – Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson hasn’t given up on Smith, not in the least bit. Most of the time last season, Smith simply didn’t have enough help around him to be successful. But what Johnson does want is for somebody to push Smith, which is the reason the Commodores brought in junior college quarterback Jordan Rodgers in January. Smith missed the final three games a year ago after tearing his hamstring and will have to play well to hold off Rodgers, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The best scenario would be for one of those guys to win the job in the spring so that decision isn’t still hovering out there throughout the summer and into preseason practice.
Offensive line continuity – The Commodores have to replace the left side of their offensive line as well as center Bradley Vierling, who was a two-time captain. Left tackle Thomas Welch played in the Senior Bowl, so that tells you that Vanderbilt is losing some talent at that position. James Williams returns at right tackle after breaking his ankle in the second game a year ago and missing the rest of the season. Sop re Ryan Seymour is the favorite to replace Welch at left tackle. This will be an important spring for him after moving over from defense last spring. Junior Kyle Fischer can play guard or tackle and is one of the most talented offensive linemen on the roster. Four younger guys to watch are redshirt freshmen Justin Cabbagestalk, Wesley Johnson and Mylon Brown along with sop re Jabo Burrow.
Passing game – Johnson moved some duties around on his offensive coaching staff this offseason. Quarterbacks coach Jimmy Kiser will now be calling all of the offensive plays. His most pressing duty will be trying to establish some semblance of a passing game, which starts with identifying receivers. Anybody who shows the ability to make a play down the field this spring will get a chance come fall. The Commodores, who will continue to try and develop their no-huddle offense, have several promising young running backs and look set back there. It will be interesting to see how they incorporate redshirt freshman Wesley Tate into the offense. But overall, they desperately need to build some confidence and some momentum in the passing game this spring if they’re going to improve offensively in 2010.

[symple19]

More good stuff from Chris Low

No matter how you slice it, some familiar faces in the SEC are gone.

In fact, some might say the league has lost its star power, especially when you consider the likes of Tim Tebow, Rolando McClain, Eric Berry, Brandon es, Joe Haden, Javier Arenas, Dexter McCluster, Anthony Dixon, Eric Norwood and Terrence Cody are all now embarking on their professional careers.

[+] Enlarge
Kim Klement/US Presswire
Arkansas hopes quarterback Ryan Mallett will rise up and be one of the league's new stars.
Can any league, even one that captured four straight BCS national championships, sustain such deep personnel losses and expect to stay atop the college football mountaintop?

“I don’t think it will be any different,” said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, entering his third season in the SEC. “You’re going to see those other guys step up and be good players and be leaders. Hopefully, we have a few on our team.”

No doubt, and a good place to start is a marquee quarterback. Arkansas has one of the best passers in the country in junior Ryan Mallett, who threw 30 touchdown passes a year ago and is the ideal building block.

If the Hogs can plug the holes on defense, they might end up being one of the new faces of the league.

The last couple of years, it’s pretty much been an Alabama/Florida stranglehold.

The Crimson Tide haven't lost a regular-season game in two years. They were 14-0 in winning their first national championship in 17 years last season.

The Gators had a 22-game winning streak snapped last season by the Crimson Tide. Prior to last season’s breakthrough by Alabama, Florida had won two of the last three national les.

And the one in that stretch that wasn’t won by Florida was won by LSU in 2007.

The odds of the SEC making it five straight with so many new faces playing starring roles?

Well, that depends on how you look at it.

The league does have a chance to be more balanced in 2010. A year ago, there was a pretty clear separation between Alabama and Florida and everybody else.

But with the Gators losing five juniors to the NFL in addition to Tebow, es and the other seniors, they’re going to have their work cut out merely getting out of the East alive.

As soon as you say that, you look around the East and realize there’s not a clear-cut challenger. Everybody has their warts, and everybody has major question marks to address this spring.

South Carolina has 19 starters returning, but this is South Carolina we're talking about. The Game s have made a living of stumbling all over themselves any time they face real expectations.

Georgia has 10 starters coming back on defense, but will be guided by a first-year starter at quarterback, probably a redshirt freshman who will be taking his first college snap. The Bulldogs are also overhauling their defense, as Todd Grantham takes over for Willie Martinez as coordinator.

Georgia last played in the SEC championship game in 2005, which was also the last time the Bulldogs won an SEC le.

The door might not be cracked open this much again in the East for a long time when you examine how relentlessly and how well Meyer has recruited at Florida -- regardless of how bizarre the whole resignation/leave of absence flip-flop was.

New stars will emerge for the Gators, and don’t be surprised if junior quarterback John Brantley is one of those stars next season.

There’s a reason nobody has repeated as champion in this league since Tennessee did it in 1997 and 1998. It’s the same reason this league has been so cyclical over the last two decades.

On any Saturday, the eighth best team can beat the best team. And when the tide turns in this league, it turns quickly.

[+] Enlarge
Gary A. Vasquez/US Presswire
Despite losing many starters on defense, Alabama has young players like Marcell Dareus waiting to take up the mantle.
Just ask Tennessee.

Speaking of the Tide, the class of the league remains defending national champion Alabama, which has a chance to be even better on offense in 2010.

The defense loses nine starters, but that’s deceiving. The young talent Nick Saban stockpiled on that side of the ball has simply been waiting its chance.

Marcell Dareus, Nico Johnson, Dre Kirkpatrick, Kerry Murphy, Dont’a Hightower and the rest of their cohorts get a chance to step into leading roles this fall.

Arkansas isn’t the only team in the West capable of taking down Alabama. Auburn and LSU are both talented enough to make a run. Like Arkansas, Auburn has to prove it can take that step defensively to play championship-caliber football. LSU has to rediscover itself after finishing 11th in the league in total offense a year ago.

Looking for a surprise?

Mississippi State is poised to be one of the league’s most improved teams. The Bulldogs might not be ready to contend for a championship, but it would be a huge disappointment in Starkville next season if they’re not in a bowl game.

They also have one of those fresh, new faces that should become familiar to just about everybody next season.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is counting the different ways to get the ball in Chad Bumphis’ hands after a promising debut season in the SEC.

So sit back and enjoy. It all cranks back up on Friday when LSU opens spring practice.

If recent history is any indication in this conference, it will all end on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz., site of the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.

[symple19]

12 Shocking SEC Moments


By Brian Harbach
Collegefootballnews.com
Posted Mar 3, 2010


The last decade in the SEC was full of amazing moments, but let's take a look at twelve that stand out as some of the most shocking. Coaches coming or going, upsets and incidents on the field are all part of this list that looks at the moments we can't forget about.

By Brian Harbach

Twelve is such a small number to try to fit every shocking moment from the past decade in the SEC but why not try. These are the twelve moments from the last ten years that made my mouth drop open and nearly hit the floor. Some are games, some are coaching hires or dismissals and some are just moments that stuck out in my mind. But no matter what you think of them they are the moments that shocked me and keep in mind they are not ranked or numbered in any way.

Steve Spurrier stepping down from Florida to go to the NFL
One of my favorite SEC coaches was Steve Spurrier. I speak about him in the past tense because even though he is still in the SEC, the Spurrier in Columbia is not the Spurrier we had in Gainesville. January 4th, 2002 after a BCS bowl win over the University of Maryland he stepped down shocking the University of Florida and the rest of the country. He has not been the same since stepping down as the Gators head ball coach while taking over the Redskins in the league and replacing Lou Holtz at South Carolina. Maybe it was the talent in the state of Florida, maybe it was coaching in a place he loved, but he isn’t the same HBC and the College Football world was shocked when he decided to move on from his alma mater.

Auburn left out of the 2004 National Championship Game
The odd trait with this moment is that at the time it really wasn’t shocking at all, but after five seasons and four SEC BCS Championships in a row it seems pretty ridiculous that any SEC Champion, nevermind an undefeated one, be left out of the BCS Championship game. At the time there were two better teams ahead of Auburn, Oklahoma and USC, and if you ignore the upcoming sanctions for USC and forget how bad Oklahoma was blow out, those two teams deserved that game as much as Auburn. Looking back it seems odd or shocking that the best team in the best conference that has never lost a BCS Championship game was left out and not given the opportunity to play for it. Back in 2004 it didn’t shock anyone, now it would be unthinkable.

David Cutcliffe Fired at Ole Miss
The only people that may have understood this are Ole Miss fans because the rest of the SEC was caught off guard with the dismissal of David Cutcliffe and the subsequent hiring of Ed Orgeron. Cutcliffe was let go after his first losing season for the Rebels which came after five straight bowl games and a 10-win season the year before. Cutcliffe did not have a huge personality or recruit particularly well but he won games. The entire situation was handled poorly and the hiring of Ed Orgeron was equally as shocking as the firing of Cutcliffe. That move set back the Ole Miss program and the hiring of Houston Nutt seems to have put them on the same path they had with Cutcliffe five years ago.

The Mike and Mike Situation at Alabama
Mike Price coached roughly six months at Alabama, one spring practice, one National Signing day and zero games. He was unceremoniously fired for an alleged indiscretion in Pensacola, Florida with a stripper. It was an odd hire from the start with Price being a west coast guy with no real connections to the Southeast or Alabama but being forced to hire a head coach in May was an even worse situation for the Crimson Tide. Former Alabama quarterback Mike Shula was surprisingly hired as the next head coach at Alabama which was almost as shocking as the firing of Mike Price earlier in the month.

The Palmetto Brawl
Two words come to mind with regards to the Clemson/South Carolina brawl in 2004…the first is shocking and the second is embarrassing. When watching this melee ensue between two rivals my mouth had to be picked up off the floor. It was so sad watching Lou Holtz run around the field trying to reign in his players as they fought with Clemson players. It was hard to watch and hard to believe that Lou Hotlz’s last game as a coach will be remembered for a brawl against Clemson. Even more shocking is that his mentor, Woody Hayes, went out the same way…losing a game to Clemson that ended in a fight. The only difference is that Holtz didn’t throw the first punch.

The 2001 SEC Championship Game
One of the most shocking upsets of the last decade was this Championship game between LSU and Tennessee. The Volunteers came in ranked number two in the AP poll, Coaches Poll and the BCS rankings while the Fighting Tigers were only ranked 21 in the AP. A Tennessee win meant a trip to the National Championship game, Phil Fulmer’s second in 4 years, but the 31-20 loss to LSU could be thought of as the start of Fulmer’s downfall. He did last another 7 seasons in Knoxville, but his team never again made it into the BCS discussion even though Tennessee did play in 2 more SEC Championship games after 2001. It was a devastating loss for Tennessee, an incredible win for LSU and one of the most shocking upsets of the last decade.

LSU’s 2007 National Championship
Undefeated in regulation but two losses in games that went to three overtimes make the 2007 LSU team the most controversial and shocking BCS Champion. I would agree that LSU was the best team in the country that year, but unless we have a playoff there is no reason any championship team should have two losses. Not to mention two losses to teams that both finished the year with five losses, but there has to be a champion each year. The only one loss team that was an option that year was Kansas, but they were not really a BCS Championship caliber team. Never would I have thought that a two loss team would win the BCS Championship and hopefully it never happens again.

The Mitch Mustain Situation
The story of Mitch Mustain is probably one of the most disappointing and shocking from the last decade. A young man that grew up in Arkansas, starting as a true freshmen for his home state’s school with his high school coach calling the offensive plays as the newly hired Offensive Coordinator and it didn’t even last a year. OC Gus Malzahn left to go to Tulsa, the family drama between the Mustain family and Houston Nutt began, Mitch transferred with high school teammate Damian Williams to Southern Cal and has yet to start another college football game. The situation probably cost Houston Nutt his job, cost Mustain his future playing college football and cost Arkansas a SEC Championship. The way the whole thing played out was more and more shocking with each detail and none of it was good for anyone.

Urban Meyer Resigning/Stepping Down/Leave of Absence
This one is still fresh in my mind since it was only three months ago but I was sitting in a bar in Orlando with my wife on vacation when we heard the news. My phone immediately blew up with text messages and calls from co-workers and friends. Each one of them was shocked at what they were watching and were trying to get answers out of me and I had none. I was just as surprised as the next guy and sadly immediately thought the worst for Meyer. Luckily it was not a worst case scenario and his health issue was not anything life-threatening. Even though he is now back and looks to be coaching this spring and probably this fall…that one moment in December shocked us all.

Vanderbilt’s first bowl game in 25 years
Twenty five years without a bowl game, let me repeat that…Vanderbilt went 25 years without playing in a bowl game. There is not a tougher coaching job in the country than Vanderbilt because of the academic requirements and the fact they get beat up by the SEC for eight games a year. But since Bobby Johnson took over the program they have started to really hold their own, develop players that are desired by the NFL and they got their first bowl victory since 1955. It was shocking that Vanderbilt made it to a bowl game after 25 seasons and even more shocking that they won their first bowl game in over 60 years against Boston College in the Music City Bowl.

The Bluegrass Miracle
How many crazy games was LSU involved in the first decade of the 21st century? Not everyone is going to agree with me on this one, but to me this game had the most memorable play from the past decade. There are so many moments that stand out in just seconds of football, the premature gatoradation of Guy Morris, Marcus Randall putting all of his strength into the hail mary pass, the ball being tipped in the air by Michael Clayton, Devery Henderson catching the tipped pass and running through the endzone, the Jefferson Pilot crew flashing the final score Kentucky 30 – LSU 27, the look on Jared Lorenzen’s face and the celebration that ensued. No moment can top the drama, heartbreak and excitement that came with that one play. It wasn’t for a championship, it wasn’t for a division le, it was just the most shocking moment in any game I have ever seen.

The tail Party End-zone Celebration
Georgia’s Mark Richt can be described in many positive ways…loyal, reserved, hard-working, level-headed, etc and that is why the stomping incident in October of 2007 was so shocking. There are only two coaches that I would not have expected to pull a stunt like this allowing the entire team to celebrate in the opponents’ end-zone after a touchdown, Mark Richt or Bobby Johnson. That celebration helped UGA win the game over their rival Florida, but they have not come close to beating the Gators the last two seasons. The tail Party was always a game that Florida and Georgia players, coaches and fans point to each year, but it is obvious that Urban Meyer has not gotten over that stunt and won’t any time soon.

[The Gemini Method]

Question for you Symple...

Why is Auburn known as the Tigers, but keep an Eagle on hand and chant War Eagle?

I know there is an explanation on Wikipedia, but I'd rather hear it from an actual fan lol.

[symple19]

Question for you Symple...

Why is Auburn known as the Tigers, but keep an Eagle on hand and chant War Eagle?

I know there is an explanation on Wikipedia, but I'd rather hear it from an actual fan lol.

Quite frankly, Wiki does a good job of explaining it. War Eagle is the battle cry, a throwback to the civil war era. Some soldier found an eagle and nursed it back to health, and when he returned to Auburn he brought the bird with him. During a game, the eagle freed itself and flew around the field, marking the beginning of what is now a tradition at Auburn, the Eagle circling the field and then diving to the center before every game. Thus, "War Eagle". Auburn is an excellent veterinary school, so an animal such as the Eagle can always find a home there, and many do. A lot of great research is done, and Auburn is usually at the forefront.(It's also a good agricultural school)

The fight song is molded around the ubiquitous "War Eagle". I've sung this song so many times that I'd be a millionaire if I had dollar for each performance. It's as follows:

War Eagle, fly down the field
Ever to conquer, never to yield
War Eagle, fearless and true,
Fight on you orange and blue
Go! Go! Go!
On to vict'ry, strike up the band
Give 'em , give 'em ,
Stand up and yell, Hey!
War Eagle, win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!

"Basically, the mascot and fight song have their roots in the civil war. It's a symbol of non-racial southern pride. Perseverance. Refusing to die or to quit. An acknowledgement that forward is the only direction and that giving up is never an option". (my words)

War Damn Eagle (or WDE, as Auburn fans tend to sign their takes) has even found it's way to the Jim Rome show, where he basically makes fun of it by attaching "War" to random statements.

The War Eagle legend started during the Auburn-Georgia football game in 1892. In the stands that day was an old Civil War soldier with an eagle that he had found injured on a battlefield and kept as a pet. The eagle broke free and began to soar over the field, and Auburn began to march toward the Georgia endzone. The crowd began to chant, "War Eagle" as the eagle soared. After Auburn won the game, the eagle crashed to the field and died but, according to the legend, his spirit lives on every time an Auburn man or woman yells "War Eagle!"

The following is kinda gay, so take from it what you will:

"Aubie is Auburn University's award-winning costumed tiger mascot. Aubie has won a record six mascot national championships, more than any other mascot in the United States. Aubie was among the first three college mascots inducted to the Mascot Hall of Fame, inducted on August 15, 2006. A popular character among Auburn fans and one of the more animated mascots in the country, Aubie has been on the job since 1959. Aubie's existence began as a cartoon character that first appeared on the Auburn/Hardin-Simmons football program cover on October 3, 1959. Birmingham Post-Herald artist Phil Neel created the cartoon Tiger who continued to adorn Auburn program covers for 18 years. Aubie's look changed through the years. In 1962, he began to stand upright and the next year, 1963, wore clothes for the first time--a blue tie and straw hat.

Basically, Tigers are the mascot, and War Eagle is the battle cry. Similar to Bammers having "Crimson Tide" and Elephants as their mascot.

When you are a student at Auburn, you are known as a, "Plainsman". This is why Auburn is known as, "The loveliest village on the plains". Auburn is located in the flatlands of eastern Alabama.

It's certainly confusing, but steeped in tradition. A significant part of why I love college football so much!!!

Auburn and Georgia are known as, "the oldest rivalry in the south". That aforementioned "War Eagle" earned it's name during an AU/UGA matchup in which Auburn was destined to lose, but ended up winning the game in 1892, the first meeting in the old rivalry. Who the knows if it's true, but it sure sounds good.

[symple19]

ESPNU 150 Watch List running back Demetrius Hart said Saturday he has narrowed his list to two schools, and his decision won't be long in coming.

Hart, a 5-foot-8½ speedster from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, took an unofficial visit to Auburn on Saturday. He was at Florida on Friday. And he said he'll choose one or the other, probably before his school begins spring practice on May 1.



Though he wouldn't label either one his leader, Hart, who plans to graduate in December and enroll in college next January, said that would change quickly.

"Honestly, I'll have one by tonight," Hart said. "I just left Auburn, so it is fresh on my mind. I need a little time to process things and I will take it from there."

He left no doubt that the visit to Auburn was a big hit.

"This is my first time being up here in Alabama, period," Hart said. "What I saw here, I've never seen anything like it. The family thing, a lot of places say it. But just to have kids running around speaks for itself. Little kids run up to you and say 'Hi. How are you doing.' Then they go to their dad and say 'I love you.' That means a lot to some people who don't have the opportunity to tell their dad they love him. That says a lot."

Hart had more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and scored 25 touchdowns as a junior last season. He said Gus Malzahn's offense would fit him well.

"They have a running back system that consists of two or more," Hart said. "There are a lot of ways they can use you in the Auburn offense."

Hart spent Saturday touring the campus, talking about academics and meeting with coaches.

"It was great," Hart said. "I got a chance to talk to all the coaches. The visit was great. They showed me around the campus. We went to the stadium. They showed me everything. I loved everything. They showed me what family is really about. I really liked it."

Auburn continues to stay in the minds of the nations top high school RB talent. Auburn is also very much in the hunt for another 5* RB, Isaiah Crowell, from Columbus Ga, as well as 4* Kevin Grooms.

AU is doing a great ing job of continuing their momentum from the hugely successful 2010 recruiting season

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From Scout

Does SEC le = BCS le? By Pete Fiutak

I was just in Las Vegas for the first weekend of March Madness and perused the early betting lines and odds to win the 2011 BCS Championship game (for the 2010 season). In today’s day and age, for good (at least for SEC fans) and bad (for everyone else), it was easy to tear the sheet in half the long way and forget about most of the teams on the list. (No, Stanford and Connecticut aren’t going to win the whole ball of wax.) And it was just as easy to tear the sheet the other way and eliminate another boatload of teams like Missouri and Wisconsin.

Oh sure, I sort of like Nebraska at 14-to-1 considering the improved offense, strong defense, and favorable schedule, but this is about guessing who’s going to win the national championship. That means figuring out who’s going to win the SEC le.

It really has been an impressive run for the SEC winning the last four national championships and five of the last seven, and Auburn might have made it six in eight years had it gotten a break in 2004, but it hasn’t been without a few breaks.

Alabama knocked out Colt McCoy in last year’s championship, but that’s part of football and has to be let go of by those trying to diminish the accomplishments of a great team. 2007 LSU needed a slew of wacky things to happen so it could play for the le after losing two games; 2006 Florida got its big break when USC gagged away a 13-9 loss to UCLA; and 2003 LSU got on the right side of the debate going from third to second in the BCS rankings thanks to an Oklahoma Big 12 le loss and then catching a bigger break playing the Sooners instead of USC. But the SEC put the ball in the hole once it got the chance in each of the le games, no matter how the teams got there, and after so much success, the big spring question is whether or not the 2010 national championship will be settled in the Georgia Dome on December 4th instead of in Glendale, Arizona, on January 10th.

And that could lead to the big, ugly, elephant-in-the-room theoretical debate that the BCS has avoided so far. What happens when there’s a one-loss SEC team and two unbeaten teams from BCS leagues?

Considering what the SEC has done in national championships, would anyone pick anyone but the SEC champion in the le game? Remember, of the five recent national champions from the SEC, only Alabama of last year was able to get through clean, and if you hate the BCS and are looking for a big-time brouhaha, this could be your year.

Say, for argument’s sake, that Florida loses at Alabama in the regular season, wins every other game, and then beats the Tide in a rematch in the SEC Championship. In this hypothetical situation, Ohio State and Texas finish unbeaten. There would be little question that the Buckeyes and Longhorns would play for the national le, considering how big those two are, but would everyone truly believe that the best two teams were playing for the championship?

To take this a step further and to what might have been, say Terrence Cody doesn’t block a Tennessee field goal attempt in the final seconds of last year’s 12-10 Tide win, Alabama loses, but goes on to stomp Florida in the SEC Championship game. Meanwhile, Texas and Cincinnati both go undefeated. Would the Bearcats have gone to Pasadena? Maybe, and no one would’ve been thrilled with that.

Now the stakes are higher than ever for the SEC because of all the recent success, and the pressure is even greater for Alabama, Florida, and LSU, the three projected top teams in the league. The SEC has also put pressure on the entire system with a case of champion-until-proven-otherwise issue, and unless something happens from out of left field, like a two-loss SEC champion and two juggernaut seasons from big name programs like Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State or USC, it’s the SEC’s BCS world and everyone else is standing in line.

The Top Five SEC Players Who Need A Big Spring
1. John Brantley, QB Florida
2. Josh Chapman, DT Alabama
3. Branden Smith, CB Georgia
4. Nick Stephens, QB Tennessee
5. Shaq Wilson, LB South Carolina

The Top 5 Position Concerns/Battles
1. Alabama cornerback
2. Florida receiver
3. Georgia quarterback
4. LSU running back
5. Auburn quarterback

The 5 Biggest SEC Spring Storylines
1. Urban Meyer’s health. He has had a month off to try to recharge the batteries, but will that be enough? This is one of the premier coaches in all of sports and one who can take a fantastically talented, but extremely green team to the national le if he’s at the top of his game. But if he’s struggling to stay healthy and the stress becomes a problem, then his rush to come back will effect more than just this 2010 Gators; it’ll effect the entire program (to say nothing of his health and well-being).
2. How fast can Alabama and Florida rebuild and reload? Almost anyone else would be looking at this season as a time to retool with so many personnel losses, but instead, the Gators and Tide will be among the favorites to win the national le. Get them now, because each program is stockpiled with young NFL talent amassed from the recent recruiting classes.
3. Is Georgia ready to rebound and be a player again? The Dawgs missed their turn on the SEC national championship run in 2008, and now the window appears to be slammed shut and nailed down. This doesn’t appear to be the year they’ll get their groove back with a ton of major concerns on both sides of the ball, but the schedule isn’t that bad and there are athletes in place to hope for a surprise.
4. Is LSU ready to rebound and be in the national le chase again? The offense has to be far, far better and the defensive line has to undergo an overhaul, but Les Miles has done a great job of recruiting over the years and he has enough primetime players to challenge Alabama for the West. This isn’t a good enough team to go undefeated, but if LSU can win the division, win the SEC, and hope for the right breaks, it would’ve be a shocker if a third national le in eight years comes to Baton Rouge.
5. Who’s ready to take the next step and be back among the top teams between Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Tennessee, and where does South Carolina fit in? All these teams are good enough to beat anyone in the conference on the right day, but can one put it all together to become a player? Arkansas, because of the offense, might have the most interesting mix and the best chance to be on the inside of the velvet rope.

The Spring SEC Team Rankings
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. LSU
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Georgia
7. South Carolina
8. Ole Miss
9. Tennessee
10. Kentucky
11. Mississippi State
12. Vanderbilt

The Pre-Spring Call For Player Of the Year
1. Mark Ingram, RB Alabama
2. John Brantley, QB Florida
3. Ryan Mallett, QB Arkansas
4. Jordan Jefferson, QB LSU
5. A.J. Green, WR Georgia

[symple19]

From CBS Sports

NCAA decision to strip Alabama of victories stands

March 23, 2010
CBSSports.com wire reports

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The NCAA has denied Alabama's appeal of a ruling vacating 21 football victories from 2005-07 and records from three other sports for widespread violations involving free textbooks.




The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee announced Tuesday that the Committee on Infractions' ruling in June 2009 stands. Alabama President Robert E. Witt expressed disappointment with the "inconsistent decision."

Alabama had argued that no other case involving textbooks had resulted in vacated victories and that the penalties were "so excessive as to cons ute an abuse of discretion." The NCAA vacated the football wins, one postseason win for men's tennis and several individual and team records in men's and women's track.

The NCAA countered in the decision released Tuesday, stating that "two cases are seldom exactly alike and that the Committee on Infractions must have la ude to tailor the penalties to the specific facts of each case."

The Alabama case involved 201 athletes in 16 sports who obtained textbooks they weren't en led to under their scholarships, including 22 "intentional wrongdoers" in football, track and tennis who knowingly exploited the system to get books for others.

"The Appeals Committee acknowledged that their decision in our case is not consistent with the NCAA's prior textbook and vacation-of-wins cases, which was the heart of UA's appeal," Witt said in a statement. "Despite that acknowledgment, however, the Appeals Committee did not find an abuse of discretion. We are disappointed by the committee's inconsistent decision given the negative impact the decision has on hundreds of uninvolved student-athletes and their coaches."

Alabama must vacate all 10 wins from the 2005 season -- including the Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech -- all six wins in 2006 and the first five in 2007, when the textbook violations were discovered, leading to the suspension of five players before the Tennessee game. Mike Shula was the Crimson Tide's coach in 2005 and 2006, before Nick Saban took over the program and led the Tide to the national championship last season.

Alabama was placed on three years probation in June and fined $43,900 in addition to the vacated records and wins. The university did not appeal the other penalties.

"We're very disappointed because the Committee missed an excellent opportunity to follow its precedent set in recent cases, the precedent we followed due to the nature of the case," Alabama athletic director Mal Moore said.

He noted that the university has corrected the process that failed to stop the violations.

"We are eager to move forward while continuing to build a program that not only is successful on the field, but also reflects the values of our university," Moore said.

Alabama had also argued that its cooperation with the NCAA was not factored into the penalties. The appeals panel noted that the Infractions Committee's public report noted that cooperation several times.

The vacated football wins include:

• 2005: Middle Tennessee, Southern Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah State, Mississippi State, and Texas Tech (Cotton Bowl).

• 2006: Hawaii, Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Monroe, Duke, Mississippi, and Florida International.

• 2007: Western Carolina, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Houston, and Mississippi.

The penalties don't affect Alabama's wins over Tennessee or against Colorado in the Independence Bowl in 2007.

[symple19]

From SI.com

Game s finally have chance to win SEC East -- if they can change

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The first sign that something had changed at South Carolina came during last Saturday's scrimmage, when the entire offense stayed at the line of scrimmage after a play to wait for the next play to come in from the sideline. It had to be a two-minute drill. Steve Spurrier wouldn't just run no-huddle in the middle of a game, would he?
He might.
The second sign came when tailback Jarvis Giles took a handoff, scanned one side of the field for a hole, bounced outside and blazed down the field for a huge gain. The play looked less like something Fred Taylor might have run and more like something Steve Slaton might have run. Spurrier wouldn't ditch his draw-oriented run game for a zone scheme, would he?
He might.
With the SEC East as open as it has been since the league split into divisions in 1992, Spurrier knows the Game s finally have a real chance to break the Florida-Georgia-Tennessee triumvirate that has won every East le. To pull off that feat -- which might get him elected governor in the Palmetto State -- he knows he'll have to change. Using the scheme that helped Spurrier win the first five East les as Florida's coach, South Carolina finished 11th in the SEC in scoring offense. The Game s finished second in the league in passing (232.4 yards a game), but they got dragged down by a rushing game that finished last (125 yards a game) and helped produce another late-season swoon that saw them lose four of their final five SEC games.


SPRING PRIMER: Who will win open East?
So, after years of running a Michael Jordan offense in a LeBron James world, Spurrier appears ready to seriously adapt. If that surprises you, imagine how it surprised first-year offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who came to the Game s from Appalachian State and found a coaching legend receptive to almost all of Elliott's ideas for tweaks to the offense. "Coach had been so successful with his offense throughout the years," Elliott said. "I just felt like maybe they needed a change."
So Elliott brought in the no-huddle and the inside zone runs. The plays -- used well by West Virginia, Oregon and others -- allow linemen the flexibility to block the closest defender and backs the flexibility to go where the play takes them instead of hitting a specific hole. South Carolina experimented with some zone plays last year, but abandoned them shortly after the season began. Spurrier's current excitement suggests he'll be willing to commit to the zone plays in 2010. He certainly has committed to Elliott, upon whom he has bestowed the le of Run Game Coordinator.
"That's his thing. It's not mine. This is some new stuff for me," Spurrier said. "We used to just run draw plays and throw it, run a few sweeps and this, that and the other. So we're running that inside zone. That's what they call it now. It can go anywhere. That's the beauty of the play. You can block any defensive front."


Spurrier wasn't the only one praising the scheme at South Carolina's scrimmage. Tailback Marcus Lattimore, the Game s' top recruit for the class of 2010, drove down from his home in Duncan, S.C., to watch the offense he almost certainly will play a role in this fall. "I'm really excited about that," Lattimore said. "It's something I'm used to. We did a lot of zone stuff [in high school] -- the same way they're doing and the same way they're blocking it."
Will the man who fought the shotgun until his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback nearly got killed by Florida State rushers in 1996 be comfortable running a no-huddle? Not entirely, but Spurrier is willing to give it a try. "I'm not a big believer in all-the-time no-huddles," Spurrier said. "I believe, at times, you've got to look a guy in the eyes and tell him, 'Here's the play.' We've still got some communication problems, but we'll do a lot of it, no question."
Perhaps Spurrier is more comfortable because he can once again give his quarterback the hook. Last year, Stephen Garcia was South Carolina's only viable option. This year, freshman early enrollee Connor Shaw is learning fast, and Spurrier believes Shaw -- a Flowery Branch, Ga., native and the younger brother of former Georgia Tech quarterback Jaybo Shaw -- will play if Garcia doesn't meet his coaches' expectations.
"We will have two ready to play," Spurrier said. "For the first time in my coaching career -- in 28 years -- I only had one guy who could play [last year]. We will play two if the first guy doesn't play the way the coaches ask him to play. It's like the left guard, safety, whatever. You've got to demand that your players play the way you coach them to play."
Maybe this is the kick in the shorts Garcia needs. Spurrier's best quarterbacks at Florida always proved themselves against a worthy compe or on the practice field. Danny Wuerffel beat out Eric Kresser. Rex Grossman beat out Jesse Palmer. Will Shaw's presence light a fire under Garcia? "We've been trying to push Stephen since he's been here," Spurrier said. "We're still trying to push him."
Garcia, meanwhile, plans to keep his job. "They're always going to bring somebody in," Garcia said. "So you've just got to be prepared for it and just do what you've got to do to keep your spot."
There is a third potential signal caller who has so far gone unmentioned. His name is Stephon Gilmore, the 6-foot-1 sop re cornerback who might be the best athlete in the SEC. Coaches didn't want Gilmore to neglect his defensive responsibilities as a freshman, so they didn't use him in a wildcat package until the Game s faced Clemson in their regular-season finale. Gilmore provided a spark that helped South Carolina beat the Tigers, and Spurrier promised to use him more on offense in 2010.
That, of course, will lead to much conjecture about what South Carolina will call this package. The standard nomenclature is "Wild" plus a school nickname or mascot. Think Wild Hog, Wild Rebel or -- at Virginia Tech -- Wild Turkey. Needless to say, if South Carolina follows this trend, the result will launch debates among editors about whether they can print the name of South Carolina's package in a family publication.
If that's the biggest hurdle South Carolina's offense faces, Spurrier will be thrilled. It probably required quite a bit of soul-searching for the proud coach to realize he needed to adapt his offense to excel, but with the SEC East open for the taking, the ultimate prize is worth swallowing his pride.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz0j7ICN2bB
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[symple19]

LSU acknowledges violations
By Chris Low
ESPN.com

LSU has acknowledged NCAA violations in a report outlining the university's internal investigation into the recruiting of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.

In the 53-page report, LSU said it found violations committed by former Tigers receivers coach D.J. McCarthy, including improper phone calls, transportation and summer housing for Hicks, a junior college transfer. Hicks did not play in 2009, his only season with the team, and his scholarship was not renewed. He has since left the university.

Had Hicks played, the Tigers would have potentially faced forfeits of any victories in which he participated.

McCarthy was not allowed to recruit last fall, after the school launched its investigation, and has not been retained on LSU's staff.

"We stand ready to assist the NCAA with any further information they may need to complete this process," LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said in a release announcing the findings.

"It is a very serious matter any time violations of NCAA rules are discovered, but I take comfort in the fact we have a compliance program in place that discovered these issues early and took swift action to minimize the severity of the situation," Alleva said.

LSU chancellor Michael Martin said he believes the school avoided "potentially more severe sanctions" because the school detected the violations early and took the proper disciplinary measures.

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from national football post

As if the SEC ever needs any added intrigue, Ole Miss just brought a whole lot more of it into the conference.

After head coach Houston Nutt offered him a place on the Rebels as a walk-on following a visit to Oxford this weekend, Jeremiah Masoli accepted the invite and will be eligible to play this fall.

The former Oregon quarterback, who was dismissed from the Ducks after two run-ins with the law, acknowledged on his website Sunday that he will play at the SEC school.


ICON
Former Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli has a new home.
“I am very excited about this opportunity and very thankful Ole Miss is giving me this chance,” Masoli wrote on the home page of www.jeremiahmasoli.net. “I really want to thank Coach Nutt for believing in me.”

Because the California native earned his undergraduate degree and is enrolling in graduate school, he can play immediately under NCAA rules. On his website, he also said that he will enter the parks and recreation management program.

Nutt and the Rebels instantly become better with the addition of Masoli even when factoring in how late it is in the summer that the signal-caller is coming on board. Rebels newcomers will report to camp August 8 and he isn’t even versed in the team’s offense yet.

However, not only does he possess the talent of a Heisman Trophy contender following his outstanding ‘09 season for the Ducks, but Masoli is a perfect fit for Nutt’s Wild Rebel offense. If he picks up the playbook within a month, there’s no doubt that his talent instantly makes the team’s offense much better.

Nate Stanley is currently in line to start under center for Ole Miss, but he played sparingly last season. He was, however, solid while subbing for the injured Jevan Snead in the Cotton Bowl last January. With the recent transfer of Raymond Cotton, the only other quarterback on the roster is junior-college transfer Randall Mackey.

Last season, Masoli led the Ducks to their first Pac-10 le since 2001 and their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1995. The 5-11, 220-pounder threw for 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 668 yards and 13 scores in ‘09.

[symple19]

interesting. you hear about this Dirk? what are peeps saying around oxford? any chance he plays much?

[DesignatedT]

Losing McCluster is going to hurt Ole Miss. Snead>>Masoli and Stanley also. They'll still make a bowl but I see them taking a step back IMO.

[symple19]

If Masoli can handle learning the offense in a hurry then their biggest question (QB) is answered. Nutt knows what to do with athletes.

Rebs also return a pretty damn good defense.

I agree they make a bowl