Receiver prospect Cordell Broadus has a snared himself a new scholarship offer to go along with previous offers from California, Duke, Oregon State, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington and Tennessee.  LSU is the latest school to put an offer on the table.

So why is this story on our homepage and not just on the recruiting page?

Because you might have heard of Broadus’ father — Snoop Lion.  Though you might know him better by his pre-Rastafarian name — Snoop Dogg.  And Snoop Dogg’s ties to LSU and its coach might help the Tigers’ chances in the race for Broadus.

The rap star is a massive sports fan and has backed a number of colleges over the years with Southern Cal’s and LSU’s jerseys being among his favorites to wear in public.  At one time he also had a house in Baton Rouge.  And in 2008, he popped up with Les Miles at a Rotary Club meeting, prompting Miles to say: “I defend his music and am much more a fan of the person.”

Snoop Dogg, er Lion said he showed up at the event (pictured below) “to give my love and support to Coach Miles.”

At the moment, Broadus seems to be more wowed by Southern Cal’s offer, having grown up a Trojan fan.

Still, Miles’ friendship (?) with the junior-to-be’s father can’t hurt LSU’s chances.

After Tyrann Mathieu’s alleged admission that he failed double-digit drug tests for weed while in Baton Rouge, we’ll let you insert your own joke about the Tigers now chasing the son of a tried and true Rastafarian.

In the words of Broadus’ father: bow wow wow yippee yo yippie yay.

Nick Saban knows a little something about defending national championships.

He’s done so three times already and this season will be his fourth try at it.  (Though he would say with a brand new team, there’s no “defending” anything.)  After the first two BCS crowns he won (LSU 2003, Alabama 2009) his teams failed to recapture the magic the following season.  His 2011 title-winning squad, however, gave way to another national champion in 2012.

The trick to reaching the top of the mountain again?  Starting from scratch.  Saban knows it and consistently tries to get his players to understand it.  Yesterday, he said the same to a group of Alabama fans at a booster event:

“Michael Jordan’s old statement is: No matter how many game-winning shots you’ve made in the past, the only one that matters is the next one.  Well, that’s all that matters to us…

I think we’re still trying to find ourselves and find an identity as a team, which every team has to go through as you re-invent yourself.  So we’ll see how that goes over the summer.”

If Alabama could win yet another BCS title this season, it would be Saban’s fifth national crown and the Tide’s fourth in five years.  At that point you go from talking about “historically great” to “legendarily great.”

So what can a blues legend do with a legendary trucker song?  He can turn it into a funked up rocker that sounds just as slick today as it did upon its release 45 years ago.

Everyone’s got a favorite artist and when it comes to the blues, I’m a Taj Mahal man.  Not the building, the man.  And if you’ve never heard the work of the man named Taj Mahal, check out his pulse-quickening version of “Six Days On The Road.”  Everything about it — from the guitars to the vocal delivery — is dead-on perfect.

If you think you know the song without ever hearing this version… you don’t know the song.

“Got my air hose runnin’ clear, baby, you ought to watch the way I shift my gears.”

SEC Football

1. Les Miles bid to end permanent opposite-division rivals finds a backer in Matt Hayes: “Auburn, LSU and Florida are impacted most by the SEC’s standing scheduling rule of one permanent opponent from the opposite division.”

2. Seven Auburn signees have arrived on campus and enrolled in school.  Remaining 13 signees expected to enroll over the summer

3. Auburn fullback Jay Prosch is 6-foot, 259 pounds and has 5.9 percent body fat.

4. Prosch makes Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freak List”.  No. 1? South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.

5. Incoming Georgia freshman Shaun McGee on saying no to Nick Saban: “Anything he says to you, you’re kind of in awe because you’re like ‘Man, this is a really powerful guy.’ He was really hard to say ‘no’ to.”

6. Why sophomore kicker Marshall Morgan is one Georgia’s ten most important players this season.

7. What kind of impact can Ole Miss expect from senior offensive tackle Derrick Wilson.

SEC/College News

8. Longtime Vanderbilt booster John Rich dead at the age of 85.

9. Assessment of Tennessee A.D. Dave Hart: So far, so good.

10. Paul Finebaum headed to Charlotte to join ESPN.

11. Appeals court revives lawsuit by former Rutgers football player against video game maker Electronic Arts.

SEC Basketball

12. Vanderbilt A.D. David Williams asked about coach Kevin Stallings reportedly blocking Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pittsburgh.  ”We, as an administrative body, stay out of the middle of that. I don’t investigate that. I don’t ask about it.”

13. LSU assistant coach Robert Kirby has resigned to take a similar job at Memphis.  Kirby had spent one-year at LSU, bulk of his career at Mississippi State.

Extras

14. “Joebots” trying to drive Bill O’Brien out of Penn State?

15. Memphis the favorite to host conference tournament for new AAC conference.

16. Hotdog, popcorn, or a glass of Merlot? University of Toledo wants to add beer and wine to its concession stand menu.

Scott Pioli made a name for himself in the NFL – first as V.P of player personnel for the New England Patriots and then as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.  While at New England, the Patriots did battle with Nick Saban’s Miami Dolphins.  Now Pioli is defending a former NFL rival and current Alabama coach.

Speaking to Mike Florio, Pioli was asked about his reaction to former Dolphins assistant Tim Davis calling Saban “the devil.”

“I’ve got to be honest, I was terribly disappointed. You know, I know Nick Saban, I’ve worked with Nick Saban for a number of years back in Cleveland.  First of all, I didn’t like it for Nick.  I know Nick is a tremendous coach and he’s a tough worker and he’s a tough boss but I know a lot of people who are tough bosses.

“I’ll say this about Nick, though:  I think he’s tough but he’s fair. He doesn’t ask anything of people that he hasn’t done himself or that he won’t do himself.”

Davis not only worked with Saban at Miami but also took a job under Saban at Alabama and that really got Pioli fired up.

“[Davis] spends a year out of football, can’t get a job, Nick creates a position at the University of Alabama to help a guy who’s been unemployed he shows his loyalty to the guy, brings him in, creates a position, pays him. This guy made the choice to come work for Nick and now a couple years later, he’s bashing a guy who really helped him… I just don’t understand the mentality of people who are given opportunities, they seize the opportunity, they get paid, and then some time in the future they start to air dirty laundry or their hard feelings toward someone. I just don’t understand why people can’t keep their mouths shut and move on.  So, to me, it’s one of these trends in sports that I see, that I just, truly disappoint me.”

And round and round we go.  We’ll see if this latest salvo sets off any more reactions or draws a comment or apology from Davis, who is now Florida’s offensive line coach.  Saban last week called the comments “terribly disappointing.”

If you’re a fan of the blues then you have to know the names Robert Johnson and Elmore James.  And if you know the names Johnson and James, you likely also know the song “Dust My Broom.”

Johnson — the legendary bluesman who supposedly sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroads in exchange for guitar lessons — wrote and performed the original version of the song in 1936.  Fifteen years later in 1951, James released an updated version featuring his electric slide guitar and some re-worked lyrics.

Blues aficionados often debate which of the two versions is best.  According to the MrSEC iPod, it’s James’ electrified track.

“No, I don’t want no woman want every downtown man she meets.”

Over the weekend it was learned that Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy was blocking quarterback Wes Lunt from transferring to Southern Miss, Central Michigan, Pac-12 schools, SEC schools, any schools whose names end in R or start with Q, etc.

Yesterday, we wrote that it was time for the NCAA to create a uniform transfer policy that — for the most part — would take the power from coaches’ hands in such situations.

Now, a day later, there’s yet another such situation.  This time Vanderbilt hoops coach Kevin Stallings is reportedly blocking sophomore-to-be Sheldon Jeter from transferring to Pittsburgh.  Jeter is a native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.  Over the weekend, Stallings had said: “Sheldon has indicated that he’d like to play closer to home and we wish him the best.”

Not sure about your take, but Pittsburgh would indeed seem closer to Beaver Falls than Nashville.

According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, however, Stallings — for an unknown reason — has decided to place a black-and-gold roadblock between Jeter and Pitt.  One would guess that Stallings feels someone in the Steel City has tampered with his ex-player.

If Jeter still wants to attend Pitt, he can transfer there and pay tuition for his first year or he can appeal Stallings’ decision to the Vandy athletic department (though it’s doubtful the Commodore brass with take the ex-player’s side over the current coach’s).

The irony here is that Vanderbilt was one of the schools OSU’s Gundy scratched from Lunt’s list of options.  Round and round we go.

Offense or defense?

Running or passing?

We wanted to know which statistics provided a more accurate gauge of overall success during the 2012 SEC football season.  When talking about the SEC, defense is usually the first word out of the mouth of any coach, fan or pundit.  Should it be?

From looking at six key (yet simple) statistics, the answer is yes.

Yesterday, we found that passing defense (opponents’ yards-per-pass-attempt) was more closely related to SEC wins and losses than passing offense (yards-per-pass-attempt).

This morning, we found that rushing defense (opponents’ yards-per-carry) was more closely tied to SEC wins and losses than rushing offense (yards-per-carry).

Now, we’ll compare the yards-per-play numbers of each school on offense and on defense (opponents’ yards-per-play).  Which statistic do you think served as a more accurate predictor of gridiron success?

2012 SEC Total Offense / Yards-Per-Play

The top three teams in this category all finished with six of more SEC wins.  Also, the two SEC squads that went winless in 2012 ranked at the bottom of this chart.  Obviously, offensive ability matters.

It just doesn’t matter as much as team’s defensive ability.  Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida and LSU all ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in yards-per-play on offense yet those four teams went a combined 24-8 in league play last year.  Meanwhile, Tennessee, MSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss all finished in the top half of the league in this measure while compiling a combined record of 10-22.

If our previous conclusions hold water, teams’ overall defensive rankings (opponents’ yards-per-play) should be the most telling of the six statistics we’ve broken down.

2012 SEC Total Defense / Opponents’ Yards-Per-Play

How’s that for lining up correctly?

The seven SEC squads with winning league marks in 2012 all ranked in the top half of the conference in yards-per-play allowed.  Those teams totaled a combined record of 44-12.  The seven squads with SEC winning percentages of .500 or lower all ranked in the bottom seven of the league in this category.  Those teams finished the year 12-44.

To take things even further, the top four teams in this category (Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU) went 26-6 in the SEC in 2012.  The six teams that ranked in the middle (Vanderbilt, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Missouri and MSU) went 27-21 combined.  And the four teams that the bottom of the table?  Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee finished a combined 3-29 on the season.

We wanted to know if defense really did trump offense in the Southeastern Conference last year.  The numbers say it did.  Whether it’s rushing defense, passing defense, or total defense, SEC wins and losses are still most often determined by strength on defense, not on offense.

Maybe we should call this one a “Who Said It?” instead of a “They Said It.”

Over the weekend, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald included an interesting blurb from an unnamed ex-Miami assistant coach as part of a catch-all blog post.  Miami, of course, is under NCAA fire thanks to the accusations of former booster — and current prison inmate — Nevin Shapiro.

According to Jackson:

“One former UM coach accused of wrongdoings complained privately that what the ex-UM coaches allegedly did paled in comparison to unreported violations committed in the SEC.”

That’s it.  End of blurb.

While it’s short, you can be sure Mike Slive isn’t happy to read it.  Slive worked hard to improve the image of the Southeastern Conference upon his arrival and for a while his efforts seemed to be working.  But then came a textbook scandal at Alabama, John Calipari brought his reputation to Kentucky (whether his reputation is deserved or not), Lane Kiffin and Bruce Pearl drew NCAA attention at Tennessee, and Auburn, well, pick a scandal.

So the SEC’s reputation is once again that of a shady league.  Winning seven consecutive BCS crowns has also led jealous folks from other region to conclude that school’s Down South must be cheating.

But in this case, who is the coach who made the above claim to Jackson.  If the person is current Missouri hoops coach Frank Haith that would be a story.  But I think we can all agree is probably not Haith.

Did the coach making the claim have any evidence of wrongdoing in the SEC?  Had he himself coached in the league and seen illegal activities firsthand?

Until we know who was talking to Jackson — and it’s likely we never will — it’s impossible to take such a claim seriously.  From here it sounds like the same ol’ types of cries we often hear from schools’ supporters whenever the NCAA comes snooping around their favorite campus: “But other schools do a lot worse than what we’ve done!”

Yeah, yeah.  Tell it to the judge.

SEC Football

1. LSU coach Les Miles will go Destin next week with a message on banning permanent opposite division rivals.  “The most important thing the conference has to do is pick a champion in a fair, straightforward way.”

2. Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Mitchell will play his final season at North Carolina State. ”Bottom line is I want to win, and I want to win now.”

3. Alabama receiver Danny Woodson, Jr. transferring to South Alabama.  Former four-star recruit was suspended for violation of team rules during the spring.

4. Why is former Oklahoma State quarterback Wes Lunt being restricted from transferring to certain schools, including Tennessee and Vanderbilt? One reason –  ”The belief that at least some coaches at some interested schools improperly contacted Lunt.” MrSEC weighed in on transfer limits Monday.

5. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel can complete a pass blindfolded.  Here’s the video proof and a picture.

6. Why wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is one of Georgia’s 10 most important players this year. Ten breakout candidates in the SEC this fall.

7. A look at freshman Evan Engram and the tight end position at Ole Miss.  Rebels don’t return a scholarship player to the roster from the tight end spot.

8. LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis on a defense that lost seven starters. “We’re not afraid to play freshmen. We’ll do everything we can to get our best 11 on the field.”

9. In Auburn’s new defensive alignment, only two linebackers will be on the field.  They will have to cover a lot of ground.

10. Tennessee sports publicist Gus Manning on coach Butch Jones: “I’ve been here for 11 football coaches. Butch Jones is the best public-relations man of all of them.”

11. Remember that Alabama BCS trophy that was accidentally shattered?  Broken trophy fetched $105,000 at an auction.

12. Rimington Trophy watch list includes nine SEC centers.

13. Do you realize college football kicks off in exactly 100 days from now? Here’s an SEC checklist.

14. ESPN’s Ted Miller on why so many predictions about college football this fall will be completely wrong.

SEC/College News

15. Florida wins the SEC All-Sports Trophy for the 23rd time.  

16. Georgia A.D. Greg McGarity has made four head coaching moves in the athletic program since he was hired.  Latest move was firing the baseball coach.

17. Towson A.D. Michael Waddell joining the athletic department at Arkansas.

18. Jon Solomon on the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit: “Collegiate Licensing Company had licensing agreements with more than 80 former college athletes from 1995 to 2010.”

19. Stewart Mandel projects how the bowls will lineup for college football’s major conferences in future years.

20. Mountain West Commissioner doesn’t think college football playoffs will stay at four teams.

21. Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer - Parrotheads?

22. Interview with former Alabama and Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione: “We had a lot of great memories of Alabama and the fans and that program. I wish it could have been under different circumstances.”

SEC Basketball

23. Former Baylor player Deuce Bello transferring to Missouri.  Will have two years of eligibility after sitting out this next season. Sixth Division I transfer to join MU’s program since Frank Haith arrived two years ago.

24. Staff moves announced Monday at Alabama include Antoine Pettway promoted to assistant coach. Team also getting new strength and conditioning coach.

25. Former Tennessee center Yemi Makanjuola enrolls at UNC Wilmington.

Extras

26. How Pac-12 schools divvied up the cash.

27. Former Memphis forward Tarik Black will play his senior year at Kansas.

28. ESPN reportedly laying off hundreds of people.

29. The 20 types of unhappy sports fans.  I think I’ve done about 14 of these.