1. Columbia, South Carolina defensive end Christian Miller has decommitted from Florida.  ”After a lot of hard thinking and discussions with my parents, I have respectfully decided to open my recruitment back up,” he posted on his Facebook page. He had previously mentioned Alabama, Florida State and Georgia as schools pursing him.  Florida now has eight commitments in its 2014 class.

2. Bossier City, Louisiana quarterback Robert Harris has a top seven - LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss and Baylor. He unveiled his list last night at his spring game.   LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and area recruiter and tight ends coach Steve Ensminger were on hand to watch him to perform. Harris says he’ll make a decision on July 18.

3. Opelika, Alabama tight end Jakell Mitchell has picked an offer from the Crimson Tide. He has also offers from  Auburn, LSU, Florida, Florida State, among others. Mitchel’s teammate, Stephen Roberts, committed to Alabama in April.

4. Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about recruiting in Georgia Thursday night.  ”It’s (Atlanta) the city in the South, and it’s three hours from Tuscaloosa. It’s important for us to do a good job here. There’s a lot of great (high school) programs and a lot of good players, so we’ve had a lot of good players from here. I think there’s five starters on our team from this area.”

5. Georgia has a rooting interest in the fate of five-star linebacking prospect Matthew Thomas.  He signed with Florida State in February but now says he wants to play at either Georgia or Southern Cal.

6. Florence, Alabama quarterback Kendrick Doss has offers from Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia Tech.  Considered a duel threat quarterback, here’s how Doss’s high school coach described him:  ”Kendrick’s the type kid, like Cam Newton and a lot of other guys, that can develop into a pro-style quarterback. He’s big enough to stand in the pocket. He’s tall enough to see over offensive lines. I think this kid could very easily adapt to a pro-style offense.”

7. District of Columbia metro area linebacker/safety Kobie Walker committed to Kentucky earlier this week.  He’s hoping to open a regional pipeline to the Bluegrass state.  “You don’t see a lot of players come from the DMV and go to Kentucky, so hopefully this will start a new trend.  Walker had narrowed his list to Kentucky, Miami and West Virginia before choosing UK.

Florida State linebacker signee Matthew Thomas from Booker T. Washington High School in Miami is seeking a release from his national letter of intent.

Thomas, ranked the nation’s No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2013 class by Rivals, signed with Florida State on Feb. 6. He had originally planned to sign with Southern California but ultimately chose Florida State after his mother refused to sign off on USC.

“We couldn’t agree, but it’s my mom, I just did what I had to do,” Thomas told Noles247.com at the time.

Thomas has since changed his mind. He told the Miami Herald he recently informed Florida State’s coaching staff that he would like a release so he can sign with Georgia or USC.

Thomas said Florida State’s coaches don’t want to release him and plan to visit Miami soon to try to convince him to stick with the Seminoles. If Thomas chooses to attend another school without a release from Florida State, he would have to sit out one full academic year that would count against his five-year window of eligibility.

Thomas told the Herald he wants out of his letter of intent because he prefers to attend a college outside the state of Florida.

“I’ve been in Miami all my life,” he said. “Georgia needs linebackers. It’s a big program. I have family in Georgia. USC, growing up I never thought I would have an opportunity that big. I just want to go have fun and play football.”

Thomas’ situation is the reason I wrote last week that high-profile players should avoid signing a national letter of intent. The letter does very little to help athletes while providing all the power to schools.

A school isn’t even required to guarantee the athlete a spot on the team when he signs the letter of intent. It just agrees to provide financial aid to the athlete.

Thomas could have signed a financial aid agreement with Florida State while leaving himself the flexibility to attend another school. Instead, his future is in the hands of coaches who have the authority to penalize him if he doesn’t attend Florida State.

1. A second arrest made Friday in the Baton Rouge bar fight that involved LSU running back Jeremy Hill but formal charges could take a while.”It will be several weeks, probably longer.”

2. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier:  ”It took us a while, but the black athlete has made our conference the best in the country. There is no question about it.”

3. Six of the ten most popular college coaches on Twitter are in the SEC – Les Miles No. 1, Butch Jones No. 3, Mark Richt, No. 4, Bret Bielema No. 5, Hugh Freeze No. 8, and Dan Mullen No. 9.

4. Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley on talk of a nine-game SEC schedule.  ”From a selfish standpoint, we have to play Florida State every year, OK?So nine conference games and Florida State, that’s a tough challenge.”

5. Auburn returns four of five starters along its offensive line.  Center Reese Dismukes likes the approach from new coach Gus Malzahn: “This year, there’s no grey area.”

6. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin on defending his honorary WWE belt:  “What time is the fight?”

SEC Network

7. One key to the SEC Network? Watch the states of Florida and Texas – they makeup more than half the homes in the conference.

8. With the network announcement and Kyle Field expansion, a big week at Texas A&M.  Where would be the Aggies be if still in the Big 12?  “Well, we wouldn’t have had as big a week as we’ve had.”

SEC Basketball

9. An earlier start to Midnight Madness. NCAA allowing practice to start two weeks earlier than previous years.

10. Florida will travel to Connecticut in December.  Huskies will make return trip dependent on O’Connell Center renovations.

11. Arkansas wants a practice facility to help with recruiting.

Extra

12. St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect (and former Texas A&M pitcher) Michael Wacha has a message for Johnny Manziel.

Assuming that the just-announced ACC grant of rights agreement is as solid as a rock, there are going to be some very disappointed people around the US of A today.

In an effort to cheer the masses, we have a special dedication to make to…

*  The websites and talk radio shows that have thrived on expansion mania (It’s been good for business during summer downtimes.)

*  The messageboard operators who’ve seen traffic explode with every realignment rumor

*  Florida State fans who wanted to erase a 20-year-old mistake and finally jump to a football-first conference

*  West Virginia fans who wanted out of the Big East and moved to the Big XII expecting a few other regional schools to eventually jump in after them

*  Big XII fans who expected their league to swallow up Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame and others in order to zip past the SEC as the nation’s best football conference

*  Anyone who wanted Texas AD DeLoss Dodds to not get his way for once

*  Proponents of super-conferences who wanted to see the creation of 18-, 20-, or even 24-school leagues

*  All of the folks who thought we’d wind up with four 16-school leagues and a nice, neat eight-team college football playoff to go along with them

*  Cincinnati and UConn fans who thought they’d finally find a way into the ACC, Big XII or Big Ten if expansion continued to boom

*  The makers of cocktail napkins (as there will be less need for sports bar chit-chatters to draw up explanations of their favorite realignment scenarios)

*  The folks who’d already penciled North Carolina State and Virginia into the SEC

*  The Big Ten which clearly had eyes on a few more Eastern and Southern schools for the purposes of dealing with population shifts and demographic changes

Yes, to all of those groups and more, here’s hoping Garth Brooks’ ol’ #1 hit from 1990 rings true.

Just a great, surprising move by John Swofford.  On behalf of MrSEC.com, we’d like to thank him for doing his part to try and put a lid on three years of craziness.

Alabama seemed past due for a commitment when the week began.

The Crimson Tide entered the week with only three commitments for the 2013 class. It had been almost a month (March 19) since defensive back Chris Williams from Kingsland, Ga., had given his pledge to Alabama.

That’s why the timing was right for linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton to commit to the Crimson Tide on Wednesday. The standout from Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala., chose Alabama over Auburn and Tennessee.

“(Alabama) is a great program,” Hamilton said, according to AL.com. “Coach (Nick) Saban is a great coach. They’re known for winning championships, you know they’re going to be in a BCS bowl every year. I just love Alabama.”

Alabama would love to add to its class this weekend. With A-Day coming up for Alabama on Saturday, many of the nation’s top prospects will be in Tuscaloosa to see the Crimson Tide play their spring game.

The list of talented prospects planning to visit Alabama this weekend include quarterback David Cornwell from Norman, Okla., linebackers Clifton Garrett from Joliet, Ill., and Tre Williams from Mobile, Ala., cornerback Marlon Humphrey from Hoover, Ala., and defensive tackle Elisha Shaw from Atlanta.

That’s just the beginning of a strong list of prospects who plan to visit Tuscaloosa this weekend. The list is also fluid, of course. Prospects often plan to make trips only to change their mind and stay home.

Humphrey, who’s been busy with his track season, could decide to stay home this weekend, according to TideSports.com. But that wouldn’t diminish his importance to Alabama’s class.

Humphrey, whose father played football at Alabama, is one of the top targets on the Crimson Tide’s board. A recent profile from ESPN RecruitingNation explained why:

“Not only is Humphrey the top player in the state, he’s also an Alabama legacy. However, the coaching staff wants him because of his ability to play. He’s physical. He’s long. He’s fast. He makes plays. He’s just what Nick Saban wants in a cornerback.”

Alabama fans would probably like to see more commitments. Alabama’s 2014 class is ranked No. 14 in the nation by Rivals.com, which is sixth best in the SEC. Still, only Southern California has four or less commitments and is ranked higher (No. 12) than Alabama.

Crimson Tide fans have nothing to worry about with the 2014 class. Alabama still has its championships and Nick Saban to sell to prospects.

And with a large collection of highly-touted prospects on campus this weekend, expect more prospects to follow Hamilton’s lead and commit to the Crimson Tide soon.

ESPN150 Released

ESPN revealed its top 150 list for the 2014 class on Thursday.

Read the rest of this entry »

SEC Basketball

1. The spring signing period is underway.  The nation’s No. 1 prospect has yet to make a decision.  Huntington Prep’s Andrew Wiggins is said to be choosing from four schools - Florida State, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.  Both of Wiggins’ parents attended Florida State. Here’s how Wiggins would fit in next year’s lineup at each of the four schools.

2. Kentucky is expecting  three signed letter of intents within the next week.  Even without Wiggins, that means Kentucky will have eight signees in its 2013 class.

3. Rutgers loss is Auburns’ gain.  JUCO forward Chris Griffin was set to sign with Rutgers but when the Mike Rice scandal hit, he decommitted and signed a letter of intent with Auburn today.  He’s one of three players the Tigers are expected to sign in the spring signing period.

4. Kenny Paul Geno, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward from Booneville, Miss., sent his letter of intent to Georgia today. He’s planning on holding a news conference Thursday morning.  ”By the time that he leaves, they’re gonna be very proud that they gave him an opportunity to play at Georgia,” Bonneville head coach Michael Smith said. “He’s gonna play and contribute. He’s gonna play (next year).”

5. Murfreesboro, Tennessee native Darius Thompson signed with Tennessee today, becoming coach Cuonzo Martin’s fourth member of the class of 2013. “At 6-4, he’s got good size for a point guard. He’s a proven scorer who can shoot it with range, and I’m confident that he’s going to be able to help us in a number of areas.”

6. Alabama coach Anthony Grant has two experienced guards coming in next year.  Tulane transfer Ricky Tarrant and JUCO guard Algie Key signed with the Crimson Tide today.  Tarrant will have to sit out a year. He was the Conference USA Freshman of the Year for Tulane two seasons ago.

7. Tuesday night, Brian Bridgewater of Scotlandville High School (LA) said “it’s not LSU.”  Wednesday, the forward committed to the Tigers. He chose LSU over Wichita State and TCU.

SEC Football

8. Jacksonville, Florida prospect Tyreke Johnson  is projected as a cornerback/wide receiver.  He’s also just 13 years old and is reportedly on the verge of getting some big-time college offers.  Here’s how his coach described him. ”He’s built and put together like a Greek God as a seventh grader.” Johnson’s brother De’Andre is a Florida State 2015 commitment.

9. Alabama picked up its fourth commitment of the 2014 class with the news that linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton picked the Crimson Tide.  The four-star linebacker chose Alabama over Auburn and Tennessee. He’s planning to graduate in December and enroll at Alabama in January.

10. Auburn’s first defensive commitment in the class of 2014 is linebacker Deshaun Davis. He chose Auburn over 10 other schools, including LSU, Florida State and Tennessee.

11. Thaddeus Snodgrass is the highest ranked wide receiver recruit ever to commit to Kentucky. The Ohio receiver says he’s working on bringing additional recruits to the Wildcats.  ”There will be a couple more commitments in a couple of days or maybe a week.”

12. Four-star running back Mike Horton from Ohio is on Kentucky’s radar.  He’s expected to make his college choice this weekend.

13. Arkansas running backs coach Joel Thomas will have recruiting responsibilities in the Dallas, Texas area. ”I’ll also have Arlington, Mansfield, Irving and I’ll work my way out to east Texas to Tyler and Longview,”

Mark Richt was asked at the Touchdown Club of Athens about the possibility of the SEC expanding its in-league slate to nine games.  In answering, he brought up expansion of another kind:

“I wouldn’t be shocked to see the teams go to 16 one day.  I’m not hearing any rumors.  Don’t start any kind of, ‘Coach Richt said this,’ but I wouldn’t be shocked to one day see us go to 16.  If we go to 16, I can’t imagine us not going to less than nine games.  I think we would have to go to nine…

These other schools (who have their biggest rivals inside the SEC) have nine but they’re not going to have that 10th game that is a team that is BCS-quality or ACC-quality or whatever you want to say.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see that happen.  I voted against it because if we have nine, plus (Georgia) Tech and then if we want to do something like Clemson like we did this year, you’re talking about 11 out of 12 games that are pretty stout.”

Georgia ends every season against Georgia Tech, just as South Carolina plays Clemson and Florida plays Florida State.  Kentucky also has an annual out-of-conference rivalry with Louisville.

Defensive back Jamal Adams from Hebron High School in Lewisville, Texas, knows plenty about the Big 12.

That’s one reason he’s anxious to visit some schools in the SEC.

Adams has offers from programs around the country, including Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.

Adams, who’s already visited Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas, told the Dallas Morning News his next visit will be to Texas A&M.

“I’m excited about heading down to Texas A&M,” he said. “They are definitely on the rise. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin is getting them right down there. Johnny Manziel is doing a great job of leading the team too. I’ve been to pretty much all of the Big 12 so I want to see something different. I want to see what the SEC is all about.”

Adams is only the latest prospect from Texas to show a strong interest in the SEC. It’s an interest that has increased in the last year thanks to Texas A&M’s arrival and early success in the league.

That doesn’t mean schools like Oklahoma and Texas will no longer be able to recruit in their own backyard. They’ll have plenty of success there in the future. But they’ll also have to deal with recruits showing more interest in the SEC.

An example: Gilmer, Texas, wide receiver Josh Walker, a Texas A&M commitment who last month told Sporting News that the Aggies have jumped Texas in the eyes of many recruits.

“I do think A&M has become sexier than Texas because of the fact that they’re the only SEC team in Texas and a lot of athletes want to play in the pre-NFL conference,” Walker told Sporting News.

The next two Texas A&M prospects to watch: linebacker Otaro Alaka from Houston and defensive end Jarrett Johnson from Katy, Texas. Both prospects were in attendance at Texas A&M’s Friday Night Lights last week and came away impressed by the Aggies.

Alaka will likely be the first of the two to announce his decision. He’s scheduled to make his commitment on Monday.

“I have a tough decision to make,” Alaka told Rivals.com.

Texas A&M has made Johnson’s decision more difficult. He was favoring Texas before his visit to Texas A&M last week. Now, the Aggies appear to have the edge.

“I feel like I was more impressed by what I saw and I felt more into the game by being allowed on the sideline the entire scrimmage,” Johnson told Rivals. “I was down there before they started (at Texas) but then we were sent to the stands.”

And so the battle continues.

Florida flips Clemson running back

Florida received good news last weekend when running back Dalvin Cook from Miami Central High School decided to switch his commitment from Clemson to the Gators.  Read the rest of this entry »

Florida State is smack-dab at the center of the current conference realignment rush.  FSU is a member of the ACC, located close to the SEC, reported to be desired by the Big XII, and possibly desirous of a spot in the Big Ten.

In many ways, Tallahassee, Florida is located right on the fault line of college athletics’ shaky landscape.

Yesterday, FSU athletic director Randy Spetman talked rather openly about the future with ESPN’s “Nole Nation” website.  Certainly he was more open than he or most other ADs have chosen to be in the past.

“It’s not done,” Spetman said regarding realignment.  “I watch it every day, reading something about it every day, trying to get a sense and calling my counterparts and seeing where they’re really at.”  He also said that FSU brass have “had conversations at the senior level about what we should consider.”  He added: “There will be more of those conversations — they’ll continue.  It’s an evolution every day.”

ACC commissioner John Swofford must love reading that.  Ditto those ACC fans who continue to whistle past the graveyard and claim that all’s well within their favorite league.

Of the Seminoles’ current home, Nole Nation reports that Spetman “said he’s confident that the ACC is moving in the right direction, and the Noles staying remains the most appealing solution.”

But.

While discussing the key factor in all of these realignment moves — revenue — Spetman mentioned one conference by name:

“Unless you bring in a revenue for them so that they don’t reduce their conference distribution to themselves, they aren’t going to bring you in.  That’s what I don’t think people evaluate as much.  It would be great to be in the SEC with our radius of schools and the way our fans travel and their fans travel, but if they bring Florida State into the SEC, I’m trying to see, how do we sell that we bring them enough additional revenue that we pay for ourselves and they make more money off of us?  They have Florida just two hours away that has the TV market here.”

A little more than 20 years ago Florida State passed on an opportunity to join the SEC.  Then-football coach Bobby Bowden has admitted that he felt his teams could do more winning in the ACC than in the rough-and-tumble SEC.  The Seminoles did win early and they did win a lot in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But FSU’s fears in the late-80s and early-90s have haunted them for the past half-decade.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recruiting Headline News…

1. Florida State’s loss is Auburn’s gain as the Tigers land  their  first commitment in the class of 2014. Prattville, Alabama  running back Kamryn Pettway, rated a 4-star recruit  by Rivals, made the decision Sunday morning after a visit with coach Gus Malzahn. “I always wanted to play in the SEC. I like the spirit of Auburn.”

2. Prichard, Alabama defensive end Justin Thornton has a new top five that now includes Texas A&M. In addition to the Aggies, Thornton lists Florida, Auburn, LSU and Southern Cal as his favorite schools.  His offer from A&M booted Florida State out of his top five.

3. Texas A&M has picked up three recruits in its 2014 class.  The Dallas Morning News says West Mesquite safety Dylan Sumner-Gardner, Nederland defensive tackle DeShawn Washington andNorth Forney athlete Armani Watts all gave oral commitments on Saturday.

4. Winter Park, Florida defensive end Trent Harris got an offer from Florida on Friday.  On Saturday, Alabama offered Harris. Crimson Tide defensive line coach Chris Rumph made the offer. ”It’s a big shock. I just feel blessed and thankful.  I give all the glory to God.” Harris, who has offers from Florida State, Georgia, Boston College and Kentucky, is scheduled to visit South Carolina later this month.

5. A recruiting analyst tells a Baton Rouge columnist that scholarship offers like the one 14-year old Dylan Moses has received from both Alabama and LSU  may become the norm for top-level recruits. “Look at the Ed Paris commitment,” said 247 recruiting analyst Shea Dixon.  “LSU offered him coming out of his ninth-grade year.”

6. AL.com reports that the top two overall performers at the Nike Sparq Combine in Atlanta  were Knoxville, Tennessee  running back Daryl Rollins, and Ponte Vedra (Fla.) linebacker Dillon Bates.  Bates is the son of former Tennessee Vol and Dallas Cowboys star Bill Bates. He holds early offers from Florida, Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State and has received interest from Alabama.

7. Missouri made a recruiting splash last year when it landed Dorial Green-Beckham. Now Beckham’s younger brother will be joining him in Columbia. Beckham’s father and high school coach confirmed the news Saturday night. Darnell Green-Beckham, like his older brother, is a wide receiver. Missouri also got a commitment from Columbia tight end Grant Jones.  He’s the son of Mizzou running backs coach Brian Jones. The Tigers now have three commitments for the class of 2014.

8. Here’s a list of recruits that visited Arkansas this weekend.