Using Rivals.com’s rankings of the Top 20 players from each SEC state, we are today examining who won the recruiting battles inside each state.   Below you’ll see the number of schools that signed players out of South Carolina’s Top 20.

All juco-bound or currently unsigned players are lumped together into a single category.

One thing to remember when looking at these state-by-state battles — not all states have deep talent pools.  In some states, the major programs might not offer as many scholarships to residents as some smaller programs.

Top 20 Signees from South Carolina

Steve Spurrier’s success at Carolina can be traced directly to his success mining the Palmetto State for its best players.  While USC signed only three of the state’s top players, this marks the third year in a row that Carolina has out-battled Clemson for the #1 overall prospect.  Clemson will always get their share of in-state talent and the Tigers will remain Carolina’s top worry within their state’s borders.  If only USC could prevent schools like North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Virginia Tech from picking their state’s pocket.

Support staff at SEC football programs rarely make big headlines.  Those are left to the men on the actual coaching staffs. 

Except in the case of ex-Tennessee employee Steve Rubio.  The school announced yesterday that he is no longer employed by the university and no longer holds the title of director of player personnel.

Rubio was a Lane Kiffin hire in Knoxville.  He came to Tennessee from Central Florida where he had served as the Golden Knight’s director of player personnel.  After his arrival at Tennessee, UCF got spanked by the NCAA and coach George O’Leary — along with the NCAA — laid plenty of the blame at Rubio’s doorstep.

In October of 2009, Rubio — serving as a recruiting intern for the Vols — visited his old Florida high school along with Kiffin while UT’s head coach made a recruiting visit there.  That’s a no-no.  The NCAA investigated the matter.

Still, Rubio was eventually promoted to the position of director of player personnel and stayed on Tennessee’s staff after Derek Dooley’s arrival.  Now gone, the school won’t say if he left on his own or was asked to depart.

A House subcommittee nixed a South Carolina lawmakers attempt to force South Carolina and Clemson to meet on the football field each season.  While the rivalry — which has been played 103 consecutive years — looks safe now, conference expansion and realignment have interrupted other long-standing rivalries (Kansas-Missouri, Texas-Texas A&M, etc).

“This is important to the state,” argued Representative Nathan Ballentine, who sponsored the bill.  “It is something the Palmetto State could be proud of, should be proud of.”

But in the end, his bill was crushed by a touchdown, 7-0.  “These matters should be handled by the universities and trustees,” Representative Lester Branham said.

If Carolina or Clemson ever attempt to end their football rivalry, expect a number of Palmetto State lawmakers to rush to get involved.

1.  The Orlando Sentinel says Florida was “completely outclassed” by Kentucky last night.

2.  Brian Cox Jr. signed with the Gators because his papa — the ex-NFL’er — and Gator D-coordinator Dan Quinn worked together with the New York Jets.

3.  Off-field issues have whittled down Georgia’s secondary depth.

4.  This columnist says Anthony Davis’ defense is just the tip of Kentucky’s spear. 

5.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continues to come up big in the Wildcats’ biggest games.

6.  South Carolina is 1-7 in the SEC and 0-4 on the road heading to Tennessee tonight.

7.  The Vols’ Jeronne Maymon will try to remain consistent, efficient and tough versus the Gamecocks.

8.  Vanderbilt will try to snap a two-game losing streak when LSU visits Nashville tonight.

9.  No surprise — SEC coaches aren’t thrilled with the NCAA’s new multi-year scholarship option.

Say goodbye to the last assistant coach with Tommy Tuberville ties at Auburn.  The school announced yesterday that secondary coach Phillip Lolley would be moving into an administrative role with the program, creating the third coach search Gene Chizik has had to undertake since the end of the regular season.

“We appreciate Coach Lolley and the contribution he has made to the Auburn football program in his various roles over the years,” Chizik said in a press release.  “We look forward to him continuing to help with the program’s success in his new capacity.”

Already being mentioned as a potential replacement is one Willie Martinez.  Martinez served as secondary coach under new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder at Georgia before succeeding him in that role in 2005.  After being dismissed in Athens, he moved on to Oklahoma for two seasons before being replaced there by Bob Stoops’ brother Mike this offseason.

In addition to Lolley’s successor and VanGorder’s replacement of Ted Roof, Chizik has also hired Scot Loeffler to replace offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

After seeing Kentucky up close and personal in a 78-58 loss last night, Florida’s Billy Donovan has high praise for John Calipari’s team:


“The one thing I like about their team is I love their disposition on the floor.  There’s a certain disposition you have to have and I’m not talking about an arrogance or a cockiness, but there’s like a focus level in terms of what really goes into winning at that level.  There’s a mentality there.”


Donovan — whose Gators lost to #2 Syracuse earlier this season — also said #1 Kentucky has a bit more talent than the Orange in that they have six future NBA first-round picks on their roster.  Still, “it would be a heck of a game,” he said.

The University of Arkansas is spending $40 million on a brand new football complex in Fayetteville.  The school is also planning to expand Razorback Stadium. 

People in Little Rock are paying attention.

Afraid they might lose the two games played annually by the Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium, there’s now discussion to upgrade and expand the 63-year-old venue.  The school and the War Memorial Stadium Commission currently have a deal that runs through 2016.

Arkansas is the only school at the FBS level that plays multiple “home” games away from its campus each season.  As Bobby Petrino has improved the Razorback program, ticket demands have gone up.  And Razorback Stadium can seat about 22,000 more Hog fans than War Memorial Stadium.  For that reason, there’s already speculation that the season finale between Arkansas and LSU could be moved to Fayetteville this fall.

Obviously the folks in Little Rock can see the writing on the wall.

Using Rivals.com’s rankings of the Top 20 players from each SEC state, we are today examining who won the recruiting battles inside each state.   Below you’ll see the number of schools that signed players out of Missouri’s Top 20.

All juco-bound or currently unsigned players are lumped together into a single category.

One thing to remember when looking at these state-by-state battles — not all states have deep talent pools.  In some states, the major programs might not offer as many scholarships to residents as some smaller programs.

Top 20 Signees from Missouri

Yikes.  No SEC state gets raided by outside forces like Missouri.  The 20 best players in the state all signed with schools in BCS leagues yet the Tigers managed to nab only four of them.  Gary Pinkel has done an outstanding job of creating a pipeline to Texas and he’s currently firing up a propaganda campaign to reach Florida and Georgia recruits.  But some of the Tigers’ needs could be met by simply putting up some barbed wire fencing around the Show-Me-State.  The quicker Mizzou locks up the BCS-level athletes at home, the quicker the Tigers will begin to succeed in the SEC.

Hugh Freeze is hoping to avoid the cold-shoulder from the Ole Miss football team.  The new Rebel coach tells The Jackson Clarion-Ledger that he knows he won’t win over everybody, but he hopes to reach the vast majority of players:


“At the end of the day, you hope 80% of your team has chosen to buy in.  that’s the buy-in principle.  And your 20%, you hope they’re not negative influences.  If you can ever get a team that’s about 90% or so to buy in, I think you got a special group.  But that’s always a challenge.”


Freeze was a head coach for one season at Arkansas State.  He’ll be asking his team to buy-in on faith, not on a long, distinguished resume.  His players, therefore, will likely want to see some early positive results before they buy-in completely.

1.  After a flurry of technical fouls, Alabama knocked out Auburn.

2.  Anthony Grant probably won’t be happy with some of his players for calling out Auburn fans and players on Twitter after the win. 

3.  Tony Barbee says his Tiger team got “out-toughed.”

4.  Undefeated at home, Arkansas heads to Georgia looking for its first win away from Bud Walton Arena in 348 days.

5.  LSU goes on the road to Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym tonight.

6.  MSU fans have chosen their program’s Team of the Century (from State’s first 100 years of basketball… it’d still be a bit soon to for the team of the 2000s.)

7.  Ole Miss needs to keep hitting the boards when the Rebels travel to Starkville on Thursday.

8.  Terrance Henry says he’s got the back of UM’s Nick Williams, the Reb’s top trash-talker.”

Using Rivals.com’s rankings of the Top 20 players from each SEC state, we are today examining who won the recruiting battles inside each state.   Below you’ll see the number of schools that signed players out of Georgia’s Top 20.

All juco-bound or currently unsigned players are lumped together into a single category.

One thing to remember when looking at these state-by-state battles — not all states have deep talent pools.  In some states, the major programs might not offer as many scholarships to residents as some smaller programs.

Top 20 Signees from Georgia

More SEC signees come from Georgia each year than any other state.  While Florida produces the highest number of future NFL players, the Sunshine State is home to more than a half-dozen FBS programs.  In Georgia, there are two.  So it’s much easier for other schools to raid the Peach State.  Quite simply, Georgia and Georgia Tech can’t grab ‘em all.

Using Rivals.com’s rankings of the Top 20 players from each SEC state, we are today examining who won the recruiting battles inside each state.   Below you’ll see the number of schools that signed players out of Mississippi’s Top 20.

All juco-bound or currently unsigned players are lumped together into a single category.

One thing to remember when looking at these state-by-state battles — not all states have deep talent pools.  In some states, the major programs might not offer as many scholarships to residents as some smaller programs.

Top 20 Signees from Mississippi

Since Dan Mullen’s arrival in Starkville, the Bulldogs have year-in and year-out collected a bigger number of in-state players than Ole Miss.  But Houston Nutt usually made his count, grabbing those players higher up the rankings.  Hugh Freeze nabbed the top player in the state this year, but the first-year coach lagged behind Mullen 3 to 1 (6 to 2, actually) in Magnolia State prospects.  This battle bears watching in the future.  And both schools need to do a better job of closing Mississippi’s borders to outsiders.