Quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s recruitment has stayed the same since he committed to Clemson more than 15 months ago.

He continues to say he’s solid to the Tigers while more and more schools keep recruiting him.

The latest school is Alabama. The Crimson Tide offered Watson a scholarship last week, joining a list that includes Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon and Southern California.

Watson, who’s ranked the nation’s No. 1 quarterback by Rivals.com, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s used to all the attention from other schools.

“I can’t tell them to stop coming by here,” he said. “They can still come by and check out another player on my team but still watch me. You know, I can’t ever tell a school not to recruit me because it’s an honor and a privilege for them to throw me a full ride offer and (tell) me to come play at the school and get a free education.”

Watson, who attends Gainesville (Ga.) High School, has entertained the idea of visiting other schools. He told ESPN RecruitingNation last month that he would take all five official visits this fall but has since softened on the idea. Instead, he told the AJC he has a list of “fallback schools” in case the status of his commitment to Clemson changes.

“For me, it would be Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, USC and Oregon,” Watson said.

Georgia is intriguing. The home-state school has shown strong interest in Watson, who’s the only quarterback in the 2014 class to receive a scholarship offer from the Bulldogs.

“They have let it be known that I am their guy for 2014 and the only quarterback they plan to go after,” Watson told ESPN. “Mike Bobo and Mark Richt said they want a local guy to take over their offense and lead them to a national championship.”

Georgia will be looking for a new starting quarterback in 2014 after senior Aaron Murray departs. Alabama will be as well with AJ McCarron entering his senior year in Tuscaloosa.

Auburn has a group of quarterbacks set to return in 2014 but no one has set himself apart from the others. That opportunity for early playing time, which Clemson can also offer as Tajh Boyd enters his final year in college, will be the sales pitch from several schools recruiting Watson.

He can expect to hear more from those schools between now and the day he finally steps on a college campus. As Gainesville coach Bruce Miller told the AJC, “every school” is interested in Watson. And he doesn’t seem bothered by the attention.

“That’s going to keep on happening,” Watson said.

Leslie eligible for LSU

Wide receiver Quantavius Leslie received good news this week when he learned he will be eligible to play at LSU this fall, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re halfway through May and already the offseason nonsense has begun.  When there’s nothing to report, media members — who have to fill space for you in some fashion — ask coaches for comments (or hang out a booster luncheons hoping to overhear comments).  Any comment that could possibly be considered inflammatory goes national.  Then other media members fan out trying to get reactions to that comment from the coaches they cover.  Once other coaches respond, you start to get responses to those responses.

Case in point, Florida offensive line coach Tim Davis calls Alabama coach Nick Saban “the devil himself” to a booster club, it goes national, ESPN’s Mark May blasts Davis, and eventually Saban and Will Muschamp will be forced to comment.

Another example?  Last week Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops said the SEC ain’t all that because it’s 7th-through-14th place teams weren’t as good last year as the Big XII’s 7th-through-10th teams.  Saban responded that the SEC is strong, but he has great respect for the Big XII.  Kansas’ Charlie Weis then backed Stoops.

So… Saban was, of course, asked about Weis’ comment.  Saban’s response was basically the same: “We’ve got a good league, I respect the Big XII, yada yada yada.”  (And no, we didn’t yada yada over the best part.)

Well, yesterday we told you that Florida’s Muschamp had told a Gator fan club that Georgia’s two-game win streak over Georgia would be shortlived.  Oh, no, he didn’t!

Right on cue, fiery Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was asked for a response.  Grantham — like Saban regarding the Big XII chatter — refused to take the bait, however:

“I mean, you know, what do you expect him to say at a Gator function?  Will’s a guy that I know personally.  I think he’s done a great job at Florida.  I think he’s very competitive as we all are as coaches.  He’s a guy that wants to win.  I think he’s just really trying to fire up the people in Jacksonville.”

Gotta love the silly season.  Oh, well.  At least it beats writing about player arrests.  (Knock on wood.)

Last night in Jacksonville, Will Muschamp made a promise to a Florida booster club.  In his first two seasons as the Gators’ coach, his squad has been beaten by his alma mater — Georgia — twice, 24-20 in 2011 and 17-9 in 2012.  He’s now vowed to turn things around when it comes to the Bulldogs:

“Well, it’s not going to be a long winning streak, I can assure you.  We feel very comfortable.  Obviously, last year, when you turn the ball over six times, you’re not going to win many games.  You turn it over six times and give up 17 points, you (still) put yourself in a situation where you can win the game.

We fought through a lot of adversity we created for ourselves in the game.  It just didn’t work out.  We turned the ball over two years ago twice inside our 20-yard line, which resulted in 14 points.  So, that obviously doesn’t help you win games either.

There are some simple solutions.  Take care of the football.  As far as playing the game and winning the game, we understood what was at stake last year.  Very disappointed for our football team and the Gator Nation that we didn’t get the job done.  Looking forward to the game this year.”

The past two games combined, Florida has committed eight turnovers against Georgia.  It should be noted, however, that part of the reason those games were still tight was the fact that the Bulldogs coughed the ball up to the Gators four times.  Both games were sloppy.  Georgia was simply the least sloppy team on the field.

On that note, it seems we picked the right day to post our breakdown of six years worth of SEC turnover data.

SEC Football

1. The Florida-Miami series may not be renewed. Miami A.D. – “There hasn’t been any conversation and there isn’t anything on the schedule for the future.” Georgia and Florida State discuss potential 2016 matchup.

2. Is Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel a top-five SEC quarterback?  MrSEC’s Josh Ward thinks so.

3. Athlon’s preseason rankings have the Gators coming in at No. 13. Florida’s game against Tennessee already sold out.

4. Toughest matchups for LSU this fall? Games at Alabama and Georgia. Suspension at TCU huge break for the Tigers?

5. Best red zone defense last three years?  If you guessed Alabama, you weren’t wrong.

6. Nick Saban gets asked for reaction to Charlie Weis’ comments about the SEC. ”I just think our league is fantastic.”

7. Saban’s daughter, a sorority fight and a lawsuit.

8. Several Auburn freshman, including quarterback Jeremy Johnson,  arrived on campus Tuesday – just ahead of summer classes.

9. Former Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson re-joining program as graduate assistant.

10. At Arkansas, one Mitchell leaves while another emerges (not related to the author nor connected to the Joe Don Baker movie)

11. Do people “love to hate Bret Bielema”?

12. Three reasons why Kentucky shouldn’t drop Louisville in football.

13.  Three of Stewart Mandel’s top five nonconference games for the first month of the 2013 season feature SEC teams.

14. Andy Staples plays the “what-if” game – looks at what could have happened with a four-team playoff in college football the last 10 years.

SEC/College News

15. Jon Solomon: “47 percent of the Division I public universities listed in a recent USA Today Sports revenue database increased coaches and staff pay at a higher rate than their athletic scholarship costs” Breakdown by school.

16. A Florida State recruit now wants to play at Georgia or Miami – but FSU won’t grant a release.

17. Kevin Scarbinsky on troubles at Auburn.  ”It’s been a long, strange year for the Tigers in so many ways.”

18. Kentucky athletes post the highest cumulative GPA during Mitch Barnhart’s time as athletics director.

SEC Basketball

19. Auburn A.D. Jay Jacobs on coach Tony Barbee: “Now he’s got to produce. We’ve got to look for results.”

20. Alabama A.D. Bill Battle on coach Anthony Grant: “I think he’s the right guy for our job.”

21. Andrew Wiggins chooses Kansas - may have not been a fit at Kentucky anyway “The Cats have almost too many good players scheduled to arrive on campus.”

22. Big loss for LSU recruiting.  Assistant coach Robert Kirby reportedly leaving for Memphis. (Before LSU, he was at Georgetown, where he recruited projected top five NBA pick Otto Porter, Jr.)

23. Point guard Kasey Hill compared to John Wall and Rajon Rondo –  expected to make a big impact at Florida.

24. Tennessee players Armani Moore and Josh Richardson headed to the Dominican Republic this summer.

25. Men’s basketball makes the biggest jump  of any program at Georgia according  to the latest NCAA Academic Progress Rate report.

Extras

26. Schools with the highest-paid NBA alums – LSU, Kentucky and Florida make the list.

27. New sport approved at LSU - sand volleyball for women.

28. Original report – Michigan State recruit giving up football to pursue rap career. Revised report – School pulled scholarship after profanity-laced video showed up on YouTube.

29. Hawaii getting the “Rainbow” back.

30. Memphis puts the punter on the cover of the media guide.

31. ESPN reporter Jeannine Edwards and Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer getting married.

Last fall, plenty of people moaned, whined and complained that Georgia had been given an easy path through the Southeastern Conference.  Apparently those folks won’t be able to voice displeasure with the Dawgs’ upcoming schedules.

According to Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity, Mark Richt’s team won’t have to worry about his squad’s strength of schedule in the first year of the new College Football Playoff:

“From our standpoint, the University of Georgia doesn’t have to worry about that in 2014 because our strength of schedule is already off the chart for the next two years.  Who knows what the ’15 schedule will be, but we just know that in ’13 and ’14, the strength of schedule is not an issue here in Athens…

We have an idea of who we’ll play, but we don’t know when we’ll play.  We know it will be a road game because Auburn’s come back here in 2014.  Whoever we play on the West side will be a road game.  It hasn’t been finalized but Destin is when we’re planning to see everything because we’ve all got to move forward with dates, campus dates, homecoming dates and things like that.”

Georgia will host LSU in late-September as its rotating West opponent this year.  Auburn — the Bulldogs’ permanent cross-division rival — will welcome Georgia in mid-November.  UGA will also open the season with a non-conference date at Clemson.

In addition to its SEC slate, Georgia will once again open 2014 season with Clemson, but that game will be at Sanford Stadium.

Florida has hired former BCS championship-winning QB Chris Leak as a quality control coach
Georgia junior OL Kolton Houston is still fighting to be cleared by the NCAA…
During his high school career he was given a steroid to treat a shoulder injury, but Houston says he was unaware of what he was taking…
He and Georgia are appealing a lifetime ban handed down by the NCAA
Alabama coach Nick Saban said last week that he is in favor of the biggest five conferences playing only amongst themselves in football…
Saban’s comment continues to get national coverage as the debate over rich schools versus poorer schools rages
Follow the SEC all year long on MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

It was the kind of decision that typically winds up permanently affixed to a coach’s bio.  Like Tom Osborne’s decision to go for two — and the win — against Miami (FL) in the Orange Bowl in January of ’84.  Like Les Miles’ decision to eschew a field goal, risk the clock running out and throw for the end zone against Auburn in 2007.

Faced with a bang-bang decision and a clock quickly working its way down to double zeroes in last December’s SEC Championship Game, Georgia coaches elected not to spike the football to stop the clock.  Instead Aaron Murray completed a pass short of the goal line on the game’s final play and Alabama secured the SEC title and a berth in the BCS Championship Game by protecting the final five yards of Georgia Dome turf.

Five months later, UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo now says the Dawgs were ready with one more call had the final seconds not evaporated.  Interestingly, that play would have come from Urban Meyer’s old playbook and not Georgia’s:

“We had actually gone back to, I don’t know what it was, it was one of the Florida-Alabama games, where Alabama had given up three red zone scores to Florida (2008 SEC Championship Game).  It was a play that Florida had actually ran against Alabama.  It was an empty set, and had two primary frontside, and a double-slant backside.  It was something from ’08 or ’09 that Tebow had completed against them.  Because I remember after that game, (Alabama defensive coordinator) Kirby (Smart) was talking about how, ‘We just couldn’t stop them in the red zone.’  So we just studied that hard…

We had some plans, we just didn’t have a chance to call those plays.”

Bobo, saying his team will have to learn to live with the end of the 2012 SEC title game, admitted that “I don’t think we’re ever gonna get over that game.”

You can find highlights of that game below:

SEC Football

1. The case of Georgia offensive lineman Kolton Houston is becoming a national story.

2. High expectations have arrived quickly at Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin better be ready, writes Barrett Sallee.

3. Alabama’s current dynasty is the fourth best of the AP era, according to Braden Gall. Here are the top 25.

4. From Athlon Sports: Will LSU or Texas A&M finisher higher in the SEC West?

5. Tennessee’s recent hires show the importance of “familiarity and trust” for the program.

6. Georgia safety Tray Matthews is one of ten early enrollees to watch this fall.

SEC Basketball

7. Here’s an early projection for the upcoming SEC basketball season. (Andrew Wiggins’ decision pending)

SEC in the NFL

8. “The sky’s the limit” for Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers, according to offensive coordinator coach Mike Shula.

9. Former Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker is trying to embrace a leadership role with the San Diego Chargers.

10. Former SEC players Sam Montgomery and D.J. Swearinger are reunited in Houston after playing together in high school.

11. Tyler Bray is happy to have a shot with Kansas City after making “a lot of mistakes” during his time at Tennessee.

Extra

12. What if there were an NFL team made up of former Alabama and LSU players? Let’s look.

13. Let this be a lesson to other young players: former NFL WR Titus Young was arrested for the third time in a week.

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.)

How can the Georgia Bulldogs beat South Carolina this year?  By channeling their inner “Mean Machine” and drawing inspiration from Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, of course.  That’s the word from Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, asked Thursday night, how best to handle South Carolina star defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney. But beyond the reference to the “The Longest Yard”, it’s clear the man in charge of Georgia’s offense is thinking about the potential havoc Clowney can wreak.

“I think we’re gonna do the ol’ Burt Reynolds-Longest Yard, not block and let (Aaron) Murray throw it.

“The guy’s gonna get his. We can’t throw the ball backwards if he’s about to sack us, and we’ve gotta hold on to the ball and not turn a bad play into a catastrophe. That’s what’s gotta happen. Because he’s a great player. He’s one of those guys you sit there and try to (decide): Can you do this, can you do that. … I don’t know. We gotta play hard, and realize that he’s gonna make some plays. And we’ll do some things to hopefully try to discourage him.

“And maybe he’ll change his mind, and maybe decide he’s gotta sit out and go pro. He’s a great player. He’s gonna make plays. But we’ve got good players too. And when we’ve got opportunities to make plays against them, we’ve gotta make plays.”

South Carolina has defeated Georgia three straight years.  ”We’ll be ready for that game. I promise you,” Bobo said.