SEC Football

1. SEC athletic directors are meeting Jacksonville.  Reports indicate no discussion of nine-game conference schedule for 2014.

2. LSU running back Jeremy Hill faces new probation restrictions - including a curfew.

3. Jeff Duncan: “Miles needs to make a statement here and a strong one.”  The MrSEC take from last week.

4. Georgia led the country with 10 early enrollees coming from high school this spring.  Counting JUCO and prep schools, Bulldogs had 13 early enrollees.

5. Recent history shows it tough for wide receivers to make an impact as freshman at Florida.

6. Auburn freshman quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson and Jason Smith are expected on campus next week.  Status of arrival date for JUCO transfer Nick Marshall still uncertain.

7. Coming out of spring practice, how does Auburn look at defensive tackle? With other SEC schools expanding stadiums, Jordan-Hare isn’t shrinking – it just feels that way.

8. Tennessee coach Butch Jones estimates he does three times the speaking engagements he did at Cincinnati.

9. Based on the early odds, South Carolina and Georgia look to be the favorites in the SEC East, Alabama the favorite in the West. Crimson Tide and Ohio State in BCS National Championship Game?

10. Andy Staples of SI has his post-spring Top 25.  Six of the top 13 teams are in the SEC, seven of the top 25.   Alabama No. 1, Texas A&M No. 2.

11. Alabama today or Nebraska of the 1990′s?  Former Cornhusker Tommy Frazier weighs in.

12.  The SEC Network doesn’t change the recruiting philosophy at Alabama.  Nick Saban: “We have a standard for what type of player we are looking for.”

13. New documentary film focuses on former Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain.

SEC Basketball

14. Trae Golden’s departure from Tennessee wasn’t his decision. He was reportedly forced to leave school over “repeated plagiarism.”

15. Cuonzo Martin on whether the Vols will add a point guard to their signing class. “We have some pretty good leads and we’ll see.”

16. NCAA meeting on possible rule changes to basketball.  Don’t expect a shorter shot clock.

17. Former Ole Miss star Murphy Holloway waived by the Baltimore Ravens.  ”Back to the hardwood…” Could be headed to Europe to play basketball.

Extras

18. In addition to Mississippi State and South Florida, former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench also considering North Carolina State.

19. “NCAA rules aren’t going to stop money from changing hands when there is this much value being discussed.”

20. Does a Sugar Bowl win over Florida make Louisville overrated?

With the Baltimore Ravens win over the San Francisco 49ers last night, 11 ex-SEC players will be getting Super Bowl rings in the coming months.  Congratulations to:

Josh Bynes (Auburn)

Terrence Cody (Alabama)

Emanuel Cook (South Carolina) (Is on Ravens’ IR list)

Morgan Cox (Tennessee)

Dannell Ellerbe (Georgia)

Pernell McPhee (Mississippi State)

Michael Oher (Ole Miss)

Deonte Thompson (Florida)

DeAngelo Tyson (Georgia)

Courtney Upshaw (Alabama)

Bobbie Williams (Arkansas)

 The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers will meet in the Super Bowl a week from Sunday.  On the rosters of those teams are nearly two dozen players from teams represented in the conference – 12 from the 49ers and 11 from the Ravens.Even after backing out three players from Missouri and Texas A&M (who played their college ball in the Big 12) – that still leaves 20 guys with SEC roots.

Here’s the entire breakdown:

San Francisco

Carlos Rogers – Auburn

Ray McDonald – Florida

Demarcus Dobbs – Georgia (reserve/injured)

Ricky Jean-Francois – LSU

Curtis Tayler – LSU (practice squad)

Anthony Dixon – Mississippi State

Aldon Smith – Missouri

Justin Smith – Missouri

Patrick Willis – Ole Miss

Chris Culver-South Carolina

Parys Haralson – Tennessee

Tony Jerod-Eddie – Texas A&M

Baltimore Ravens

Terrance Cody – Alabama

Courtney Upshaw – Alabama

Bobbie Williams – Arkansas

Josh Bynes – Auburn

Deonte Thompson – Florida

Dannell Ellerbe – Georgia

DeAngelo Tyson – Georgia

Pernell McPhee – Mississippi State

Michael Oher – Ole Miss

Emanuel Cook – South Carolina (reserve/injured)

Morgan Cox – Tennessee

The two Mississippi State players represented here – Anthony Dixon of the 49ers and Pernell McPhee of the Ravens – are featured in a new billboard campaign across Mississippi.  MSU announced the billboards (click the icon up top for a larger version)are launching in Tupelo, Jackson and Columbus.

One year ago, Ole Miss did a billboard campaign before the Super Bowl featuring Eli Manning of the Giants and BenJarvis Green-Ellis of the Patriots. This year, Ole Miss has Michael Oher of  the Ravens battling Patrick Willis of the Niners. The lineman and linebacker will no doubt be staring each other down at some point during the game - maybe a little like this.

With two former Auburn players headed to the Super Bowl - San Francisco cornerback Carlos Rogers and  Baltimore linebacker Josh Bynes – this makes the 29th time out of 47 Super Bowls a former Tiger has made it to the championship game.

Former Georgia Bulldog and current Baltimore Raven Dannell Ellerbe got a shoutout on Twitter last night from Mark Richt after intercepting a Tom Brady pass in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Lattimore’s recovery from a brutal knee injury in October is right on schedule, but if an ESPN report is correct, the running back’s next carry will occur in the National Football League.  Joe Schad is reporting that “a source close to the player” has said Lattimore will declare for the draft, possibly as soon as Wednesday.

Schad says Lattimore has the blessing of Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier.

Lattimore has already battled back from one knee injury and his current rehab could cost him all of next season.  Still, the talented workhorse back reportedly plans to meet with NFL officials at the scouting combine and then jog and catch passes for them by the end of March.

Remarkably — at least for anyone who saw Lattimore’s leg bend in the wrong direction in Carolina’s win over Tennessee last fall — Lattimore is already off crutches.

If/when he announces this decision, he’ll leave Columbia with 2,677 yards rushing and 38 touchdowns to his name.

Our tip for Lattimore: Hire Drew Rosenhaus as your agent.  Rosenhaus was the agent for ex-Miami Hurricane Willis McGahee who badly damaged his knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.  Instead of falling too far down the draft board, McGahee was selected #23 overall in the first round by the Buffalo Bills despite the fact he would have to sit out the entire 2013 season.  He’s gone on to be a two-time Pro Bowler and has played with the Bills, the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos, his current team.

1.  Florida’s front line will be tested tonight at Georgia.

2.  The Gators will be trying to avoid a letdown following 30+ point rout of Arkansas last weekend.

3.  Teryl Austin — who left the Arizona Cardinals to become UF’s defensive coordinator last season — has been hired by the Baltimore Ravens as their new secondary coach.  (Think this guy appreciates Urban Meyer’s decision to resign?)

4.  This writer says Janoris Jenkins is more of a bonehead than he is a pothead.

5.  Georgia’s Dustin Ware is second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.

6.  Attendance is on the rise in Athens these days.

7.  It’s a big week for the Dawgs as they host Florida and head to Kentucky.

8.  John Calipari says his outbursts are designed to let his players know that mediocrity is not acceptable.

9.  Former UK quarterback Mike Hartline was given community service for a December arrest relating to alcohol.

10.   Tennessee’s Brian Williams says the Vols’ next four games (all against the SEC West) are “must-win, have-to-win, however you want to put it.”

11.  Bruce Pearl says his team hasn’t improved as he would like.

12.  Lane Kiffin finally sold his $2.6 million Knoxville home.  For $1.9 million.

13.  Vanderbilt has gotten better as forward Lance Goulbourne has gotten better.

Here’s a quickie morning update on the names being tossed around in Les Miles’ search for a new offensive coordinator at LSU:


1.  Cam Cameron — As we told you yesterday, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh has said that Cameron will return to his staff as O-coordinator next year.  However, The Baton Rouge Advocate says Harbaugh’s decision “doesn’t eliminate the possibility that Miles could call the man he spent several years on the Michigan coaching staff with and gauge his interest.”

2.  Steve Kragthorpe — The former Tulsa and Louisville head coach will be in Baton Rouge today to meet with Miles.  Kragthorpe confirmed to The Advocate that he would be interviewing for the post.  He accepted the receivers coaching position at Texas A&M prior to last season but resigned due to his wife becoming ill.

3.  Mike Sanford — Sanford presents another tie to Louisville as he’s currently the offensive coordinator for Charlie Strong’s program.  TigerBait.com — the Rivals site covering LSU — says that Sanford “is reportedly the latest coach being considered” by Miles.  Sanford once served as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator at Utah for two seasons (where he worked with current LSU receivers coach Billy Gonzales).  Sanford was the head coach at UNLV for five seasons before moving to Louisville.

4.  Justin Fuente — The co-offensive coordinator at TCU was scheduled to have met with Miles over the weekend.

The Advocate also lists Frank Scelfo and Blake Anderson as potential candidates.  Scelfo is the current quarterbacks coach at Arizona and once served as the offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech under Derek Dooley.  Anderson just finished his first season as offensive coordinator at Southern Miss.  It’s believed that he has already spoken with Miles about the LSU gig.

FootballScoop.com lists former Florida quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler as a candidate as well.  Loeffler once served as the offensive coordinator at Michigan — Miles’ alma mater — before moving to Gainesville.

The smoke seems to be clearing around the names Paul Chryst (Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator) and Jim Chaney (Tennessee’s offensive coordinator).  For now at least it doesn’t appear that there’s much fire connected to either name.

Cam Cameron — former Indiana head coach and current offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens — had his name pop up in connection with LSU’s vacant O-coordinator slot just as soon as that job came open.

Perhaps that’s because Cameron’s situation in Baltimore appeared iffy to outside observers.  But today Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh has confirmed that Cameron will return next fall (if there is a next fall in the NFL).  So it looks like we can scratch one name from Les Miles’ long list of candidates.