Josh Dawson believed Vanderbilt was the right school for him when he committed to the Commodores during a visit to Nashville on June 19.

Any doubts the defensive end from Tucker (Ga.) High School might have had were settled by Vanderbilt’s current roster of players.

“They were just telling me I made a great decision and that I’m going to be part of something special and part of a big turnaround in college football,” Dawson told MrSEC.

How big of a turnaround?

“We’re going to go for an SEC championship,” Dawson said. “I think we can make a run for it.”

Dawson chose Vanderbilt over schools that have already competed for conference championships. He said he took visits to Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Central Florida.

Prospects don’t typically choose Vanderbilt over schools at that level. Dawson said the recruiting effort of first-year coach James Franklin helped convince him to choose the Commodores.

“His passion for football and how he felt committed to turn the program around,” Dawson said of Franklin’s influence. “Vanderbilt was really on me.”

Dawson plans to be on several recruits, too. He said he has already spoken to prospects around the Southeast about the direction of Vanderbilt’s program.

“I’ll try to recruit the best people to go to Vanderbilt so we can try to win an SEC championship,” Dawson said. “We need to work hard.”

That work could pay off on Friday when three players announce their college decision. Defensive end Caleb Azubike, wide receiver Cory Batey and running back Brian Kimbrow are all expected to choose Vanderbilt when they announce their decisions in Nashville. That would push Vanderbilt’s commitment total to 11 prospects for 2012.

Kimbrow, who’s ranked the No. 1 prospect in the state of Tennessee by 247Sports.com, would be Vanderbilt’s highest-rated commitment for the 2012 class.

“I’m just looking for somewhere that’s comfortable for me,” Kimbrow told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Someplace that’s a good fit.”

Tight end Kelvin Rainey from Yulee (Fla.) High School gave a commitment to South Carolina on Thursday.

Rainey, who’s considered the nation’s 12th-best tight end by ESPN.com, committed to South Carolina over offers from Georgia, Arkansas, Rutgers and Louisville.

“South Carolina has been with me since my sophomore year,” Rainey told the Florida Times-Union. “I’ve got a great relationship with them. Plus, I wanted to play offense and that’s where they liked me.”

Rainey is the first tight end to commit to South Carolina’s class of 2012. The Gamecocks have nine commitments for the 2012 class.

Rainey said his commitment is solid, but his recruitment could still be worth following. Rainey told the Times-Union that he’s unsure if he will visit other schools this fall.

Not sure if “checkerboardy” is a word or not, but it’s the only thing that comes to mind when looking at the new Nike uniforms Kentucky unveiled this afternoon. 

Well, okay, Purina-esque works, too.

Overall, the unis aren’t a huge departure from previous years — all blue at home, all white on the road.  Only now UK has the option of wearing a white helmet instead of the usual blue.

The biggest change — as you can see more clearly if you enlarge the photo at left by clicking this story’s headline — is on the sleeves.  Both the blue and white jerseys feature a blue/navy checkerboard pattern.

Personally, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Nike’s often “out there” designs, but this one isn’t as radical a redesign as I had feared. 

(And, yes, we are angling for Nike to once again fly us to New York to cover the unveiling of their new Pro Combat uniform collection.  The Trump Soho was very nice.)

Here are some recruiting notes from around the Southeast and nation this afternoon.

-It’s the often-asked question: Are recruiting rankings fair?

-Running back Brian Kimbrow is set to announce his college decision. Vanderbilt is considered the favorite.

-Here’s a look from CBSSports.com on what to expect during the July recruiting period in college basketball.

-There will be plenty of talent on hand at The Nike Opening in Oregon next week.

-Bobby Petrino has done well finding quality depth in his recruiting classes at Arkansas.

-Auburn and Clemson had a strong recruiting month in June, writes Jamie Newberg.

-Here’s a look at Alabama’s first 2012 commit, safety Eddie Williams.

Alabama starting tailback and Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Richardson was the victim in a hit-and-run car accident.  Details, however, are very sketchy.

According to WBRC-TV, the Tuscaloosa Police Department responded to a “leaving the scene of an accident/menacing call at 1:30 Thursday morning.”  A citation was issued for the driver who left the scene, but Richardson “declined prosecution on the menacing charge.”

The police department said the case is now closed and that no further details will be released.

A University of Alabama athletics department spokesperson has said that Richardson was not injured in the incident.

Will AJ McCarron be the star quarterback that Alabama fans hope?  For that answer we’ll have to wait til Fall… to see if he even beats out Phillip Sims.

A better question — that everyone can answer for themselves now — is whether or not he’s got the slickest back tattoo among SEC signal-callers.

McCarron’s tattoo (at left) features an image of Jesus, the words “Ma” and “Pops,” what appears to be an image of a dove of peace, and the words “Bama Boy.”  Among other things.

Impressive.

Ah, but last November we showed you a photo of the tattoo Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray sports on his back.  As we now know, the photo is legit and the tattoo features the letters: B-R-A-Y over four big stars.

So who’s got the best tat?  That probably depends on whether or not you wear crimson or orange.

(Sidenote — In light of the recent Ohio State scandal, whenever we see an athlete with a big, flashy tattoo we immediately wonder: How’d he pay for that?)

For years, Mark Richt has been known as the “good guy” of the SEC.  He’s respected by his peers.  He’s won a whole lot more than he’s lost.  He’s represented his school well.

But now he sits on a hot seat coming off the first losing season of his tenure.  It’s a win or else type of year for the Bulldogs’ coach.  And the actions of a pair of parks and recreation officials could lead to end of the coaches’ reign.

Here’s how:


* Tony Adams and Herman Porter work for the city of Columbus, Georgia’s Parks and Recreation Department. 

* A police investigation has found that they used an unauthorized bank account to pay for Jarvis Jones — a local football star who had also played on the local Georgia Blazers AAU club — to fly to Los Angeles after he signed with Southern California’s football team in February of 2009.

* The four flights back and forth between Atlanta and Los Angeles cost $828.40.

* AAU athletes can have their room, meals, and legitimate team-oriented travel costs covered, but they aren’t allowed such things as personal airline tickets.

* Jones — who has since transferred to Georgia and is expected to land a starting outside linebacker job — must now wait to see what the NCAA says about his eligibility.

* If, like Georgia receiver AJ Green last year, Jones is forced to sit for a few games — let’s say two — he will miss two of UGA’s most important games: Boise State and South Carolina.

* If Jones misses those games, there’s no reason to believe Georgia can’t replace him.  However, given the team’s psychological funk following the Green suspension, there’s also no reason to dismiss the possibility that UGA could once again get a case of the early-season blahs.

* If the Dawgs lose one or both of those early games, many fans will be woofing for Richt’s head.  And who knows how his team would respond to such a loud distraction as that?


That’s a lot of ifs to be sure. 

But given what UGA went through last year without Green — who was admittedly a much bigger impact player than Jones — it’s not too far-fetched to say that an illegal AAU basketball slush fund back in 2009 might make Richt’s 2011 campaign just a little bit tougher.

1.  ESPN’s Chris Low says you could put together a pretty good SEC “All-Attrition” Team this summer.

2.  If the NCAA sits Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones over a report of illegal benefits he received in high school, the Dawgs do have options.

3.  Ex-Kentucky hoopster DeAndre Liggins — who some people didn’t think would even be drafted — now says he’ll use his second-round-pick status as motivation with the Orlando Magic.

4.  Prentiss Waggner is happy to play or corner or safety for Tennessee this fall.

5.  This writer has put together a test for UT’s athletic director candidates.

6.  The SEC has done away with divisions in basketball and is exploring new scheduling options.  Perhaps the league should also consider playing ball on this type of court.  (Odd.)

It appears the former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl is still The Man in Knoxville.  Part of that is understandable.  His six-year run at UT was the school’s best-ever period in terms of NCAA Tournament appearances and success.  Thompson-Boling Arena went from being a tomb to one of the best gyms in the country.  And the Vols became a national brand, even reaching the top of the polls for a brief stay.

On the other hand, his rule violations brought the NCAA to town and his lie to NCAA investigators brought the program crashing back to earth.  But even after his ouster in March, he remains a popular figure with many Vols fans and a good chunk of the Tennessee media.

How else do you explain the photo at left?

Last night, Pearl took in the final game of Knoxville’s summer Rocky Top league.  When he departed, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that he left the high school gym “to applause and cheers of ‘Bruuuuce!’”

The Sentinel’s website features a photo of Pearl — and the “Bruuuuce!” quote — on its front page today.  That’s the image at left.

“Tonight was about me coming out to see my son play and supporting the guys we recruited to Tennessee who have played hard for the Vols,” Pearl said of his appearance.  “These guys are well-seasoned now, and they’re ready to play.”

Nothing wrong with a man watching his son play.  Nothing wrong with a man showing support for players he once recruited and coached, either.

But it still might not sit right with new Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin.  While Martin would likely never admit it, having a popular ex-coach still walking around town — getting cheered — probably won’t make his own life any easier.  Especially if his team struggles in Year One… which is likely due to the roster he inherited.

Pearl built Tennessee basketball to the point that many fans simply don’t care that he also had a big hand in its likely decline.  That’s some loyalty to the coach right there, folks.  So why would he leave an area where he is cheered, where his wife comes from, and where his kids go to school?  (And — as some in the Knoxville media would tell you — “where he would like to coach again someday?”)

If Pearl wants to stay, that’s certainly his right.  But he’s not doing his replacement any favors by doing so.

1.  While Rotnei Clarke considers Butler, former Arkansas guard Jeff Peterson has decided to transfer to Florida State.

2.  This writer says it’s time to start focusing on who is returning to Razorbacks’ basketball team.

3.  Mississippi State fans are enjoying wins and feeling some schadenfreude at Ole Miss fans’ expense.

4.  Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun picks Georgia to win the SEC East.

5.  Here’s a preview of South Carolina’s football team… from a Florida perspective.

6.  Here’s a list — what else — from Athlon’s of the best new assistants in college football (complete with three SEC hires).