Kentucky safety Ashely Lowery released from hospital nearly a week after car wreck
Nick Saban responds to Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops comments regarding SEC…
Saban: “I think there’s probably a lot of animosity out there because of the success that we have in our league…”
Co-Chair of the Kyle Field redevelopment committee says one goal of revamped Texas A&M stadium will be intimidation
Transfer of Tennessee cornerback Daniel Gray raises concerns about depth in Vols secondary
New study finds largest discrepancies between teaching salaries and football coaching salaries are in the SEC
Unofficial tally shows Missouri and Florida with most player arrests among SEC teams since 2010
Georgia assistant basketball coach Kwanza Johnson leaving for similar job at TCU
Five former SEC  players invited to NBA combine
Petition by Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith to find out if his bank account was illegally accessed denied by judge
Follow SEC news year-round at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec

Nick Saban responds to Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops comments regarding SEC…
Saban: “I think there’s probably a lot of animosity out there because of the success that we have in our league…”
Co-Chair of the Kyle Field redevelopment committee says one goal of revamped Texas A&M stadium will be intimidation
Transfer of Tennessee cornerback Daniel Gray raises concerns about depth in Vols secondary
New study finds largest discrepancies between teaching salaries and football coaching salaries are in the SEC
Georgia assistant basketball coach Kwanza Johnson leaving for similar job at TCU
Five former SEC  players invited to NBA combine
Follow SEC news year-round at MrSEC.com and on Twitter at Twitter.com/mrsec

SEC Football

1. Is Auburn still shopping for a transfer quarterback? “We’ve got two guys currently, we’ve got three coming in. We feel like all of them can play.”

2. The trial of  former Auburn player Dakota Mosley - who was prominent in ESPN’s coverage of failed synthetic marijuana tests – remains tentatively scheduled for June 10.

3. Auburn assistant coach Dameyune Craig is getting attention for his work on the recruiting trail. (Also see our SEC Recruiting Notebook from earlier today).

4. Nick Saban with an endorsement of a power conference schedule.  He likes what the Big Ten is doing – moving away from playing FCS schools.  “I’m for five conferences – everybody playing everybody in those five conferences.”

5. Jeff Schultz on the Alabama coach : ”When Saban speaks, everybody listens now.” Pat Forde: “There is no longer a viable excuse for the rich not to play a nine-game conference schedule.”

6. Saban updates spring practice injuries – including running back Derrick Henry.

7. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and his NFL critics.

8. Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is guarding against complacency.  ”I’m not the most popular guy with our offensive football team right now.”

9. Tennessee secondary looks thin after the departure of cornerback Daniel Gray.

10. Some marquee non-conference matchups involving SEC teams.

Bob Stoops/SEC

11. David Climer on Bob Stoops’ comments regarding the SEC.  ”The Oklahoma coach is right.”  Top six SEC teams went 30-0 against the bottom eight in 2012.

12. Matt Hayes disagrees: “Last year, the Big 12 had one team in the top 10 of the final BCS regular season poll. The SEC had six.”

13. Joe Walljasper: “Look, we don’t judge the Jacksons on the merits of Rebbie and La Toya.”

14. MrSEC’s take  -  top to bottom –the SEC dominates everyone else come bowl season.

SEC Basketball

15. Long rumored – finally happening. Georgia assistant coach Kwanza Johnson leaving for a job with TCU. Bulldogs only getting Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky on the road next year.  Coach Mark Fox:  ”Those are our biggest draws, and we don’t have that at home, so that’s concerning,”

16. I count five former SEC players on this list of those invited to NBA combine.  One of them is former Mizzou point guard Phil Pressey.

17. The question that will be asked all year – Kentucky or Louisville?

18. Referees could be getting some leeway on players elbowing an opponent above the shoulders. Also some changes coming to the block/charge call.

Extras

19. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany will be deposed in Ed O’Bannon lawsuit against NCAA.

20. . Concern over a toe was apparently the reason why former Alabama running back Eddie Lacy fell to late in the second round of the NFL draft.

21. Jeff Pearlman: “ Were it not for (Donald) Trump, (Tim) Tebow may very well have a job right now.” (If you’ve ever watched the ESPN documentary-  ”Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?” – you’ll know why Pearlman’s comments make sense.)

The kerfuffle over Bob Stoops’ comments earlier this week has received attention around the country.  Even ESPN’s Sportscenter was dedicating time to the topic.  If you missed it, The Oklahoma coach let it known be known that he thinks the SEC is more of a top-heavy league.   ”What are the bottom six doing?” he asked on Monday, telling reporters that when it comes to the SEC, “you’re listening to a lot of propaganda that gets fed out to you.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked for his reaction to Stoops’ comment Thursday.  He began with this:

“I didn’t even know he said it, so you’re going to have to tell me what he said. I’ve got more important things to do than sit around and read what Bob Stoops has to say about anything. But I like Bob Stoops, and I respect him as a coach, but I’m really trying to manage our business.”

After reporters sketched in the details, he responded this way.

“Well, we don’t play everybody in the Big 12 or whatever it is, so I really don’t know much about their league. We have a lot of respect for what they do at Oklahoma, and I really don’t think that people that don’t play in our league really don’t understand the quality of our league from top to bottom.

“I think there’s probably a lot of animosity out there because of the success that we have in our league, but I think that kind of goes with the territory. I understand that. But we certainly respect the great program that they have at Oklahoma and the other good programs that they have in the Big 12.”

My favorite part of that is Saban’s ability to simultaneously compliment and cut.   He likes Bob Stoops but is not sure what league he plays in -  ”the Big 12 or whatever it is.”

Add Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops to the list of people with an opinion on paying college athletes.  “I tell my guys all the time,” Stoops tells Matt Hayes of The Sporting News, “you’re not the first one to spend a hungry Sunday without any money.”  If you guessed that he’s not sympathetic to the idea, you guessed correctly.

“You know what school would cost here for non-state guy? Over $200,000 for room, board and everything else. That’s a lot of money. Ask the kids who have to pay it back over 10-15 years with student loans. You get room and board, and we’ll give you the best nutritionist, the best strength coach to develop you, the best tutors to help you academically, and coaches to teach you and help you develop. How much do you think it would cost to hire a personal trainer and tutor for 4-5 years?

“I don’t get why people say these guys don’t get paid. It’s simple, they are paid quite often, quite a bit and quite handsomely.”

The tab for out of state tuition, room and board and books at Oklahoma is  $29,924.50 per year. Hayes does the math on the impact for the Sooners’ program – “That’s $149,622.50 alone over five years for 58 players on the 79-man spring roster who aren’t from the state of Oklahoma.”

OU Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel doesn’t agree with his boss.  “I think there should be some stipend,” while others wonder about the perception of a coach “making $4 million a year telling athletes to suck it up and go hungry.”

Kentucky hires Florida defensive coordinator Mark Stoops as its new football coach
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher says he’s “very happy” in Tallahassee despite rumors tying him to Auburn and Tennessee
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops says he loves his current job, despite rumors tying him to Tennessee
Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn says he’s not looking to leave, despite rumors tying him to Auburn
NC State athletic director Debbie Yow says Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is not a coaching candidate in Raleigh
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel says he’ll be back in Columbia next year and is not planning to step down
Georgia players continue to say that they are not intimidated by Alabama’s team heading into the SEC title game
Nick Saban says he’ll “need to get more guys ready to play” at receiver due to a number of injuries
Ole Miss was fined $5,000 by the SEC office after fans rushed the field following last week’s win over Mississippi State
Florida coach Will Muschamp was given a one-year contract extension earlier this fall
Follow the SEC all year long at MrSEC.com and via our mobile apps

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.

1.  Ex-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville wants the 2004 BCS crown, but Bob Stoops and Oklahoma do not.  (Of course, Auburn wasn’t slaughtered 55-19 by Southern Cal as Oklahoma was.)

2.  This writer says Arkansas always gets hosed right before the NCAA decides to change and improve its rules.  (I’ve heard that from fans of just about every school in the SEC, by the way.)

3.  Alabama’s game at Penn State this fall will kick off at 3:30pm ET on ABC.

Will Muschamp wowed Florida fans, players and administrators yesterday with a 45-minute up-tempo speech during his introductory presser.  It was a clear change from the last guy’s demeanor.

Urban Meyer always seemed to be a bit of a stick in the mud.  Well compared to Muschamp, Meyer looks and acts like a statue.  On Ambien.

Among the points discussed during Muschamp’s presser:


* The coach wants to fix Florida’s problem with arrests by coaching players in leadership and character development.  (That’s a Nick Saban hand-me-down that most — if not all — of the coach’s acolytes are employing at their new programs.)  He said he also wants players who want to graduate.

* Strength coach Mickey Mariotti will be retained by Muschamp.

* Muschamp said no assistants have been offered jobs and that he would wait until after Florida’s Outback Bowl appearance to make any decisions.  “I’ve got zero timetable on hiring a staff.” (Wise move.  Let things settle.  Talk behind closed doors.  And then make moves that are well thought-out.  And being in Florida, his recruiting shouldn’t take too big a dip even if he’s half-staffed for a while.  Really like that move.)

* Muschamp plans to dump the spread-option in favor of a pro-style attack.  The coach said his most critical hire will be his offensive coordinator.  He is looking for a play-caller with both college and NFL experience.

* He said that who he hires as defensive coordinator will impact whether or not he calls his own defense.  Regardless of who’s calling the signals, his defense will be multiple… like his defense at Texas and like his mentor’s defense at Alabama.

* Muschamp also said that he would seek guidance from Meyer.  “As long as Will Muschamp’s the head coach at the University of Florida, Urban Meyer’s going to be involved in this program.” The new coach also said that he’s invited Meyer into the weight room, into meetings and onto the practice field.  Most coaches praise the last guy and then never follow up.  Muschamp took his praise a good bit further.  And that’s not a good idea.  We rarely agree with Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com, but he was right in suggesting that Meyer needs to get out of Dodge and not be in a position to look over his replacement’s shoulder.


In other news…

* Florida quarterback John Brantley says he’ll discuss his options with his family after the bowl game.  He did admit, however, that the possibility of running a more pro-style offense appeals to him.  “It’s what I’m fit for more.  I’m not the running type, and it was definitely better to hear more pocket passing (in Florida’s offense).”

* Brantley spoke with ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson on camera after Muschamp’s presser.

* Jeremy Foley isn’t worried about Muschamp’s lack of head coaching experience and neither is the new coach.

* Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun believes Muschamp’s introductory presser showed that he “gets” what it takes to be Florida’s head coach.  “Now, we see if it translates.”

* Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel says Muschamp might be the next Bob Stoops…

* But not everybody is Bob Stoops.

* Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News says Muschamp will not be a bust.

Wanted to give you a quick catch-up on the latest on the Cameron Newton situation.  Here goes:

* An angry Gene Chizik spoke out today in defense of his star quarterback.  “So I want to make this very clear, because I’m wasting my time addressing allegations that completely, to be frank, blow my mind that they’re even out there because there are federal privacy laws that dictate that these things don’t even get out in public.

“But I’m standing up here on a very important week trying to defend something that is quite frankly garbage.  Is there a wizard behind the curtain, I don’t know.  Is there one?  Is there two?  Are there 10?  I don’t know, and I don’t care.  But what I do care about is coming to the defense of not only a great football player, but a great human being who comes from a great family.”

He may say he doesn’t care, but you can be sure that Chizik is wondering — like a lot of folks around the conference — if Mississippi State or Florida sources are behind the stories that keep popping up.

“I’m defending a young man who deserves it,” Chizik said.  “Whatever people want to drum up and dream up, that’s not changing.  Cameron is going to be focused on Georgia this week.”

* Newton himself spoke with the press today, but he handled the session with cool class and showed no anger.  “Am I hurt?  No.  Am I curious?  A little bit.  But it really doesn’t bother me that much.  I’m a blessed individual.”

Newton would not discuss the academic charges brought against him this morning in report by Thayer Evans of FoxSports.com.

“I’m not going to entertain something that happened three months, six months, but two years ago.  I’m not going to talk about it, beating a dead horse.”

He also said that he wants to believe Urban Meyer when he says he’s not behind the information that’s been leaked.  “The coach that I knew, the one I once committed to, a man of integrity, I would hope he wouldn’t say anything like that.”

* Al.com has posted video of both Newton’s and Chizik’s pressers.

* Returning to the FoxSports.com report, the Rivals.com site AuburnSports.com is reporting that “two independent sources with detailed knowledge of the UF academic discipline system during the period in question have disputed the Evans story.”

According to AuburnSports.com’s sources, “no allegations of academic impropriety regarding Cam Newton were sent to the Florida Student Conduct Committee at any time either during or after Newton’s time at UF.”

Here’s the problem with this: Any source talking about Newton’s academic history at Florida is dancing on a razor’s edge.  That goes for FoxSports.com’s source and the two sources of AuburnSports.com. 

Federal privacy laws prevent students’ academic records from being leaked to the press.  If this includes — and it’s likely that it would — possible claims of academic fraud, then someone could be facing some very serious legal charges. 

The fact that Auburn has reacted so strongly to this latest smear tactic should cause FoxSports’ Evans and his source to pucker up a bit.  If someone’s lawyer wants to push this there are legal avenues which can be followed.

One thing is certain, if any part of Newton’s academic history was released to Evans, it had to come from either a source at Florida or someone who was once at Florida during Newton’s time on that campus.

* If it’s found that either Meyer or Dan Mullen had anything to do with Newton’s alleged cheating scandal being brought to light, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that that coach could lose his job.  Yes, skirting federal laws is that big a deal.

The coaches had best be hoping that rogue fans or someone on UF’s Student Conduct Committee acted on their own.

* I say “alleged” cheating scandal because AuburnSports.com does have two unnamed sources to refute FoxSports.com’s one unnamed source.

However, it’s likely that if Evans’ story was false, Newton would have screamed from his podium that the story was untrue.  He did not.  He simply chose not to talk about it. 

* One of the schools which keeps popping up in messageboard conversations regarding this scandal is Oklahoma.  But Sooners coach Bob Stoops said today that he saw nothing irregular in Newton’s recruitment.

He said that he “didn’t notice anything and none of our coaches did as we were recruiting him.”  Of course not.  What’s Stoops going to say one way or the other?

* Finally, Tony Barnhart writes for CBSSports.com today that when it comes to the Heisman race, Newton should not be punished for Reggie Bush’s sins.  Further, Barnhart writes:


“… last week I talked to people at Auburn with intimate knowledge of the situation.  They told me they were ‘extremely confident’ that Auburn, Newton and his father had not violated any rules.  These sources had no qualms about the Tigers continuing to play him.”


* Stay tuned.  There will be much more to come.  You can bank on that. 

And just to reiterate, I wouldn’t want to have been involved in leaking Newton’s academic history to FoxSports.com.  That source should be sweating bullets about now.