SEC Football

1. Spring practice underway at Auburn. Tigers lack numbers at several positions, including quarterback. Coach Gus Malzahn: “The good thing is that they’re going to get a lot of reps.”

2. Observations from practice No. 1 - ”The Tigers are already working on the hurry-up, no-huddle, gone-in-sixty-seconds formations.”

3. Auburn safety Erique Florence no longer on the team. ” He’s taking care of some personal issues, and we wish him the best.”

4. He’s not the only one leaving.  “Blake Burgess will no longer be with the team.” Used as a fullback last year.

5. Since Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is not a “quarterback-by-committee guy,” either Brandon Mitchell or Brandon Allen will emerge as a clear winner in the QB battle.

6. Proposed rendering for the expansion and renovation of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium .

7. South Carolina redshirt freshman T.J. Holloman is impressing at a position the Gamecocks need help this fall – linebacker.

8. Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason on defensive end Ray Drew: “From what I noticed, Ray Drew was really unblockable today.”

9. With Aaron Murray away for a banquet, Mason takes snaps with first-team offense,

10. Jay Graham will make $275,000 at Florida State.  His replacement as Tennessee’s running backs coach – Robert Gillespie – will make $300,000.

11. Florida getting a boost from JUCO players along the defensive line.

12. Biggest void on the LSU defense is the defensive end position -Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter trying to fill big shoes.

13. 27 former LSU players taking part in Pro Day workouts today. 18 former South Carolina players doing the same in Columbia today.

SEC Basketball/NCAA Tournament

14. When Florida meets Florida Gulf Coast Friday night  - expect the capacity crowd to make life difficult for the Gators.

15. Did Florida turn down Florida Gulf Coast for a pre-season scrimmage?  Yes. Urban Meyer has a daughter on the volleyball team at Florida Gulf Coast.

16. Stats guru Nate Silver gives Florida a 21.3% chance to win it all. “The Gators are this year’s flash point in the debate between stat geeks and traditionalists.”

17. State of Florida with three of the Sweet 16 teams - is the Sunshine State now a basketball state?

18. Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin reportedly expected to pursue extension and possible renegotiation of his contract.

19. Martin currently tied for 10th-highest paid coach in the SEC.

20. UCLA’s firing of Ben Howland could have an impact on Georgia basketball.

21. Three-point shooting one of the keys to advancing in the NCAA Tournament.

22. Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel No. 1 on the draft board for ESPN’s Chad Ford.  Says UK’s other three freshmen should stay in school.

23. For the first time since 2003, Mississippi State will play a game in Tupelo next season.

24. The block-charge call - defensive players being rewarded too often?

College News

25. Majority of sports fans polled do not favor paying college athletes.

26. Cowboys Stadium favorite to host first major college football playoff championship game.  Arlington and Tampa thought to be only two cities that bid.

27. When Auburn removes the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner on April 20th, Harvey Updyke Jr.’s attorney will be in attendance.

28. Former Alabama A.D. Mal Moore needs a lung transplant.

29. The “old” Big East getting two new members - Tulsa and East Carolina.

Extras

30. Sports-talk personality Paul Finebaum has a book deal.”Primarily, it’s about the culture of the show and how the culture of the show interacts with the SEC.”

SEC Football

1. Running back Marcus Lattimore’s  injuries a blessing in disguise at South Carolina?  “We were able to move on when Marcus got hurt. You can’t just sit there and sulk. You have to move on and find ways to get better.”

2. Spring practice starts at Alabama.  Five questions and five players to watch.

3. Second-day spring practice impressions at Florida.  ”Jeff Driskel looked much more comfortable than he did last spring…”

4. Situational scrimmage at Tennessee today. Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian:  ”I want to identify who the playmakers are, put guys in situations to make plays and see who steps up when the lights go on.”

5. LSU center Elliott Porter has a “medical issue” that will cause him to miss at least a few days of spring practice. La’El Collins is moving from left guard to left tackle this spring.

6. LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow had 104 tackles last year. Defensive coordinator John Chavis:  ”He’s a really talented player and we’ll need him to show it.”

7. Auburn has running back Tre Mason but what’s in the backfield beyond him?

8. Former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson impressive at the Razorbacks pro day on Friday.

9. Coach Bret Bielema is focused on who will replace Wilson.  ”I think there’s no doubt that on offense, the key is who is going to be our trigger puller.”

SEC Basketball

10. Kentucky’s Archie Goodwin on what the loss to Vanderbilt meant for the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament chances: “This didn’t help us at all. I know for a fact this really hurt us.” Jerry Palm’s latest outlook.

11. Did Alabama’s zone defense throw off Tennessee’s offense Friday? And did Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin speak too soon?

12. Crimson Tide players glad to get another opportunity to face Florida. Trevor Releford: “Everybody in the locker room is excited about it. We’ve wanted them since we lost to them two weeks ago. It’s going to be a good game.”

13. Alabama has lost six straight to Florida. Will Yeguete will play two games in two days for the first time in college career.

14. If you’re keeping score, Missouri has now lost six of their last seven games decided in the final seconds. Tigers 5-7 in games away from home in which they’ve had a lead in last 30 seconds.

15. Is Georgia a top-25 team if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope returns next year?

16. Auburn coach Tony Barbee gets a vote of confidence from A.D. Jay Jacobs. “My expectation is for our program to show significant improvement under coach Barbee’s leadership.”

College News

17. Have bowl, will host.  In addition to Rose, Orange and Sugar, 31 bowls get invited to participate in college football’s new playoffs. “In reality, if anybody other than the Cotton, Tostitos Fiesta and Chick-fil-A bowls are chosen, it will qualify as a major surprise.”

18. When Maryland moves to the Big Ten, the school will receive an estimated $20-30 million in travel expense subsidies.

Extra

19. Charles Barkley wants to work a basketball game with Dick Vitale: ”I would love to do a game with Dick Vitale because I think he has been great for college basketball. It’d be good for the game.”

SEC Football

1. Kevin Sumlin is getting a raise and contract extension at Texas A&M. Assistant coaches will also get a bump in pay.

2. CBS Sports says three NFL teams and one major university pursued Sumlin in the past month.

3. Johnny Manziel’s Heisman Trophy translated into $37 million of media exposure for the Aggies, according to a study.

4. Alabama’s national championship celebration parade ends on the steps of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a speech from Nick Saban: “I’ve never been prouder of any group than this group right here.”

5. Alabama A.D. Mal Moore on Saban: “He is the best coach, in my opinion, in the United States. Thank God he’s on our side.”

6. South Carolina’s football team honored at halftime of Saturday’s basketball game.  Steve Spurrier confirms quarterback Connor Shaw won’t participate in spring practice after having surgery for sprained foot.  Return a “four- to six-month deal.”

7. Early assessment of Jadeveon Clowney’s 2013 Heisman chances: “The door is as wide open as ever for a dominant pass rusher, and Clowney is the one guy coming back this fall with enough juice to walk through it.”

8. Gus Malzahn at halftime of the Auburn-Kentucky basketball game: “I promise you this, we’re going to get our edge back and we will start playing good, hard-nosed Auburn football.”

9.  Malzahn confirms quarterback Clint Moseley has left the team but remains in school.

10. New message at Kentucky under new coach Mark Stoops. The days of ”We’re going to lift you and run you until you puke or whatever,” are gone.

11. Mississippi State A.D. Scott Stricklin on coach Dan Mullen: “When Dan was hired, we were 5-7 and people were giddy and they were excited. Five-and-7 doesn’t cut it right now because Dan has changed the expectations of our fans.”

12. Alabama lineman Chance Warmack explains what “Warmacking” is: ”Basically you just lift your stomach up and take a picture of it and put it on some social media.”

College News

13. Limits on text message and phone calls between recruits and coaches are going away under new rules adopted by the NCAA.

14. “The NCAA has all but admitted it can’t ensure an equal playing field…”

15. University of Miami offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same capacity.  He’s a Florida grad.

16. When Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o thought he was sending flowers to Lennay Kekua, they were going to an address once occupied by the ringleader of the dead girlfriend hoax.

17. ESPN releases edited transcript of interview with Te’o.

18. Notre Dame officials give a chronology of the timeline and decision-making process.

19. Former South Carolina pitcher Michael Roth was a “Catfish” target.

20. New head coach at Oregon will be the Ducks offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich.

All-Star Games

21. Game-high 13 carries for 42 yards for Texas A&M’ s Christine Michael at the East-West Shrine Game.

22. Big star of the Raycom College All-Star Classic – running back Michael Hill from Division II Missouri Western.Former Missouri running back Derrick Washington and former Georgia running back Washaun Ealey also have nice days.  Former Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson has an interception. 

23. Senior Bowl releases rosters. 23 SEC players are on the South squad – Georgia has the most on the active roster with six.

24. Non-seniors allowed to play in Senior Bowl for the first time.  NFL gives clearance to Alabama’s D.J. Fluker and Justin Pugh of Syracuse.

SEC Basketball

25. Mississippi  State guard Jalen Steele scored 15 points in his hometown of Knoxville Saturday.  Wanted to play for the Vols: ”I would have been glad to stay here and play for the home team.”

26. Kevin Scarbinsky on Auburn: “Point guard remains as big an issue for the basketball team as quarterback has been for the football program.”

27. Auburn retires Mike Mitchell’s jersey.

28. In a pre-game ceremony, Charles Barkley welcomed Kentucky fans Saturday – Auburn fans booed.

29. Ole Miss senior Murphy Holloway on Saturday’s power outage: “When you go to Ole Miss, a lot of stuff don’t work right sometimes around here.”

30. Missouri guard Keion Bell suffered an apparent ankle injury against Florida. Coach Frank Haith seemingly didn’t like some of Bell’s postgame comments.

31. NBA scouts from 12 different teams attended the Missouri-Florida game.

32. Gary Parrish: Is Florida just going to run through the SEC?

33. South Carolina’s Lakeem Jackson is proof you don’t have to shoot well to contribute.

Extra

34. RIP – Baseball’s Perfect Warrior.  Stan “The Man” Musial – the greatest Cardinal of all – dead at the age of 92. His final day at the plate.

SEC Football

1. Johnny Manziel gets a speeding ticket and a Texas judge takes to Facebook to publicize the case.  The judge, Lee Johnson, is a Baylor alum and could be in trouble for posting the information.

2. The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am thought about inviting Manziel but apparently backed off when they discovered it would have cost the Texas A&M quarterback close to $20,000 to pay the entry fee or run afoul of NCAA rules.

3. Manziel on the new generation of NFL quarterbacks: “Watching them you see some of the things that have changed in the NFL, with the read option and where (teams) can do some things with a mobile quarterback.”

4. Collateral damage from the Manti Te’o case hits South Carolina. Fake Jadeveon Clowney Twitter account creates a stir. South Carolina officials informed Twitter about the account Wednesday night.

5. Bret Bielema has completed his staff at Arkansas – hires Kansas State assistant Michael Smith to be the Razorbacks receivers coach.

6. Florida coach Will Muschamp on the departure of Dan Quinn and the promotion of D.J. Durkin to defensive coordinator: “D.J. and I will run the defense, continuing the way that Dan and I did for the past two years.”

7. A busy Mark Stoops at Kentucky: ”There have been some moments when you sit back and (it’s like), wow,”

8. Three walk-ons now have scholarships at Tennessee – unofficial number of scholarship players now totals 69.

9. Could the SEC have 11 or 12 bowl teams in 2013?

NFL Draft Prospects

10. Departing Auburn running back Onterio McCalleb will play in the Senior Bowl - marking three straight weeks he’ll play in all-star games.

11. Four Texas A&M players will participate in all-star games. The East-West Shrine Game and the Raycom All-Star Classic are Saturday with the Senior Bowl a week later.

12. Aggies running back Christine Michael, who butted heads with coach Kevin Sumlin and saw little playing time his senior year, is impressing scouts at East-West Shrine Game practice.  “Michael has been the top back in practices.”

13. Even before the girlfriend hoax story emerged, Manti Te’o's draft stock was plunging. Gil Brandt: “In that game against Alabama, this was like a guy who was the best shooter in the world in basketball and here comes a game and he can’t even hit the backboard.

14. Mel Kiper on Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree: “I think he could certainly be top 10-12. I have him 13 right now, but by the time the combine workout is over, he could end up in the top 10.”

15. Kiper on 2014 draft prospect Aaron Murray:  “I think you’re looking at maybe a second-round pick.”

College News

16. Penn State coach Bill O’Brien wins the Bear Bryant Award.  Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin and Vanderbilt coach James Franklin were finalists.

17. Al Pacino will play Joe Paterno in a movie about the late Penn State coach.

18. Former Alabama great and ex-Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom is the new running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans.

19. Cowboys have talked to Houston Nutt about joining the staff.

20. Big East football will have 10 teams and eliminate divisions this year.

21. NCAA president Mark Emmert: ”It turns out we know how to write rules. One of the problems is sometimes we write lots and lots and lots of rules.”

22. Kevin Scarbinsky: “Te’o is, at best, a gullible sap, and at worst, a willing participant in the most sophisticated hoax college football’s ever seen.”

23. This is perhaps the goofiest “non-sports” sports story we’ve experienced since Tonya Harding. Report: Ronaiah Tuiasosopo has admitted to the hoax.

SEC Basketball

24. Missouri forward Laurence Bowers likely to miss Saturday’s game at Florida- has sprained MCL in his right knee.

25. “The Tigers often look like a team comprised of one holdover and numerous transfers, which is close to being what they are.”

26. In their last 19 conference games spread across basketball, football and baseball – Tennessee is 1-18.

27. Since 2000, LSU has lost their first three conference games five times.

28. Arkansas beat Auburn Wednesday night but it was a disappointing performance for Razorbacks forward Hunter Mickelson.  Mike Anderons’ message: “He’s got to have short-term memory and get back in practice and come with it.”

29. ESPN ranks the SEC 1-to-14 – from Florida to Georgia.

30. Ron Morris pays tribute to Carolina Coliseum – “back when basketball games were played in basketball barns.”

Extra

31. “Catfishing”  is a pretty common occurrence.  ”It’s been going on for a while, and I think it just hit the tipping point.”