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.

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SEC Football

1. Missouri now has nine commitments in its class of 2014 after Blue Valley West, Kansas offensive tackle Michael Fairchild and Nasvhille, TN cornerback  Finis Stribling verbally committed on Monday. Fairchild’s father played college ball at Kansas and professionally for the New England Patriots.  Stribling’s coach was impressed  by Missouri’s efforts at recruting in the Volunteer State. “I have noticed a more concerted recruiting effort inside the state lines. They’ve done probably the best of anybody in terms of getting information out and mailing it to kids.”

2. Alabama line coach Mario Cristobal is a big fan of big lineman.  California JUCO lineman Dominick Jackson is the latest in a string of offers to 300+ pound lineman.  He lists Alabama alongside UCLA as his two favorites.  ”I am a West Coast guy, but my dream has always been to play in the SEC.”

3. Auburn coach Gus Malzhan on the Tigers recruiting philosophy: ”It’s all going to start in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, but we’ll nationally recruit, and our guys are doing that.”

4. How is Auburn’s Dameyune Craig making an impact in the Mobile area? ”I don’t know what he does outside of football, but it can’t be much because he’s always recruiting.”

5. Auburn’s top five wide receiver recruiting targets for 2014.

6. 2013 LSU signee  Quantavius Leslie has reportedly gained his academic eligibility and will enroll in June, The JUCO wide receiver played at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Miss.

7. Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench made an official visit to South Florida this week.  He’ll visit North Carolina State this weekend and Mississippi State next week.

SEC Basketball

8. No Andrew Wiggins for Kentucky, but the Cats recruiting class still considered the best in the country. 247 analyst Jerry Meyer: “It’s still kind of ridiculous, with six guys in the top 15,”

9. Memphis, Tennessee point guard Chris Chiozza is Florida’s first commitment in the class of 2014. ESPN recruiting analysti Dave Telep: “He’s a fearless player. Defensively, he’s a pest. He latches on to you. Offensively, he’s improved to where he’s a reliable scorer.” Chiozza chose Florida over Ohio State, Memphis, Ole Miss, Murray State and Butler.

Big Ten leaders are trying to be proactive when it comes to scheduling in the soon-to-dawn age of a college football playoff.  The league has already decided to use a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2016.  In addition, the Big Ten has decided to put down some new guidelines for its schools when it comes to their non-conference scheduling options: no games against FCS opponents and at least one game each year against a team from one of the other major conferences.

Readers of this site know that we are in favor of the SEC doing the exact same thing.

With the Big Ten holding its annual meeting this week, a number of Big Ten personalities opened up about their league’s push to toughen up its scheduling:

“We want to get out of the business of scheduling games that feel like scrimmages to our fans… Football can be pretty boring in September if you don’t create great contests.  We don’t want to be boring.  We want to strengthen the schedule to create more excitement early in the season…. Yes, you’re going to take a few losses, but, ultimately, you’ll become more competitive.” — Michigan AD Dave Brandon

“It’s a little more difficult (to draw fans) with 60-inch TVs and the price of concessions and having to wait in line to go to the bathroom.  We have to do our part for the in-game experience, but who we’re playing is also (important).” — Illinois AD Mike Thomas

“We collaborate a lot.  If we’re looking for a game, does somebody know about one?  Let’s say somebody had a team on their schedule, but for whatever reason, they needed to move the game.  Maybe you call Purdue and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got X.  You looking for a game?’  And maybe you trade-off.  It’s kind of a co-op.  We work together and try to help each other schedule.” – Penn State AD Dave Joyner

For those who missed it, Michigan coach Brady Hoke also got on Notre Dame’s case this week for “chickening out” of future games against his Wolverines.

The Big Ten’s moves to beef up its scheduling — and its loud talk of doing so — should aid Jim Delany’s league moving forward.

First, playing teams from the other major conferences guarantees — in most cases — home-and-home contracts.  That will result in Big Ten football getting exposure in the West and in the South where the population is booming.  Population growth has slowed or stalled in the Big Ten footprint, a point that Delany himself has made when explaining his conference’s decision to expand.  Big Ten teams visiting the Southern or Western states should help on the recruiting front.  With its own talent pool drying up, there couldn’t be a better time for the league to take its show on the road.  And even when Big Ten teams host teams from the ACC, SEC, Big XII or Pac-12, they will still get attention from prospects in the ACC, SEC, Big XII and Pac-12 regions.

Second, going public with its scheduling plans — and doing so very loudly — will help create the perception that the Big Ten is a leader when it comes to non-conference scheduling.  When a selection committee for the new College Football Playoff convenes in 2014, strength of schedule is supposed to be an A-1, top-shelf consideration.  The Big Ten’s self-propelled image as a tough schedulin’ league coupled with a committee that will likely want to bring in teams from all over the country could help Delany’s schools gain invitations.

The old quote attributed to Muhammad Ali comes to mind: “I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”

For SEC fans rolling their eyes at our thumbs-up to the Big Ten, keep in mind that the Big Ten currently makes more money than any other conference while also maintaining the best academic reputation.  All while dealing with a growing talent gap produced by its location in an area of the country that’s being passed population-wise.

SEC fans might not like Delany, but he and Larry Scott of the Pac-12 are progressive, strategic-thinking conference commissioners who must be taken seriously.  Each has made more money for their leagues than anyone thought possible without the benefit of seven BCS titles in a row.  The SEC leaders should take note of what the Big Ten is doing now (as well as keeping an eye on the marketing-minded Scott to the West).  You can be sure that Mike Slive is paying attention.

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1. Star basketball prospect Andrew Wiggins will announce his decision on Tuesday. Update: He chooses Kansas over Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina.

2. Which team has the most to gain by landing Wiggins? Jeff Borzello examines.

3. Clemson quarterback commitment Deshaun Watson discusses his recent offer from Alabama.

4. Two Florida signees have already enrolled in classes to get an early start on summer workouts.

5. Florida continues to receive attention for its creative social media efforts in recruiting.

6. Tight end Jeb Blazevich discussed why he committed to Georgia’s 2014 class.

7. Kentucky scored a big recruiting win with the commitment from quarterback Drew Barker.

8. Clemson is battling several SEC schools and others for wide receiver Trey Quinn from Lake Charles, La.

How about an Andrew Wiggins highlight video?

SEC football coaches aren’t the only ones looking forward to using the SEC Network as a recruiting tool.  SEC basketball coaches are also anxiously awaiting the August 2014 debut of the network.  In a wide-ranging interview at the Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith sounded euphoric about the partnership between the SEC and ESPN.

“It’s huge. We’re going to still get on our national TV stuff, but I think the fact that you’ve got ESPN tied to the network … I mean, there’s other networks out there, but none of them have ESPN tied into it, and I think from a recruiting standpoint, we recruit nationally anyway, but now you’ve got this extra piece saying, “Hey, regardless of where we go recruit your kid, you’re going to see them play on TV. You’re going to see pretty much every one of their games.” I think that’s a huge, huge thing. I’m always thinking recruiting. I think it’s a huge, huge plus for us.”

Haith also opened up on a variety of other topics:

* Is he preparing for his June meeting with the NCAA?

“I’m not preparing for that. There’s nothing to prepare for.”

* Earlier start to practice in the fall.

“I applaud the NCAA. They’ve made some really good (changes).”

* The number of transfers and the culture of college basketball today.

“We live in a microwave society in general. Everybody wants things quick. But in college basketball it’s at another level, and you see kids moving all the time”

* Difference in style of play between Big 12 and SEC

“Our league was way more physical than our league was in the Big 12. Way more physical.”

Asked about a disappointing second season in Columbia after a thirty-win first year at Mizzou, Haith said, “This team personnel-wise could have been better.”  He said it wasn’t though, citing things like inconsistent play, injuries, toughness, chemistry and defense.  ”That’s a challenge for us as a coaching staff, holding guys accountable. It all starts out front. If we don’t have great consistency guarding the ball out front, we’re going to get broken down in the paint. And that’s what happened with this team. We weren’t consistent in guarding the ball out front, and that really hurt our defense.”

File this under “No Surprise.”  Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart wants no part of an expanded, nine-game conference schedule:

“Nine games is not something we favor.  I do not think a nine-game schedule would serve Kentucky well…

History says it’s very difficult for us to have the level of depth, the second, third, fourth lines of players, that some of the other schools in our league have just as a means of their in-state recruiting situations.  When we have to play a long line of league games, it’s a grind, our teams can get beaten up physically.  It’s better for us, for our players, when the schedule allows us to have some so-called breathers, so that our kids can sort of restore themselves physically in-season.”

Translation: “We’re weak.  We know we’re weak.  We don’t foresee a day when we’ll be strong.  So we need cupcakes on the schedule.”

Barnhart isn’t the only AD in the league to make comments like this.  Mississippi State’s Scott Stricklin has said that his school needs pastries, too (though we send kudos to MSU for taking on Oklahoma State this year).  Vanderbilt coach James Franklin has said he’s against a nine-game schedule, too.

Simply put, you can be sure that most of the traditional non-powers in the SEC hope to avoid a nine-game schedule.  OK.  They have their reasons.  Everyone wants to win games and everyone wants to go to a bowl game.

But do any fans really want to hear their school’s athletic director say that their program has to have “breathers” in order to win and reach those bowl games?  Where’s the ambition in that?  Where’s the confidence?

Laugh if you like, but any school can win.  If Kentucky had beaten Alabama to the punch and hired Nick Saban in 2007 is there anyone out there who doesn’t believe UK would be competing for SEC titles today?  In addition, it should be left to the fans to make the “we’ve got no in-state talent” argument.  Barnhart’s job is to find someone who can recruit kids from inside and outside the Bluegrass State.  That’s the lay of the land.  It can be done.  Some of UK’s SEC neighbors have proven it can be done.

In terms of NFL draft picks produced by SEC states, Tennessee and Arkansas rank at the bottom of the SEC along with Kentucky.  Tossing out Ivy League schools, Tennessee is one of the 10 winningest programs in the country all-time.  Arkansas is in the all-time top 20 for victories.  No in-state talent?  Recruit out of state.

Hey, we get that Kentucky doesn’t have the tradition or the recruiting base of some of its rivals.  But an athletic director admitting that his school can’t succeed without “breathers” and patsies?  Sorry.  That’s just not what an SEC athletic director should be saying.

Kentucky S Ashely Lowery is expected to make a complete recover after being thrown from his vehicle in a weekend car crash
Four Arkansas football players, including backup QB Brandon Mitchell, are planning to transfer
Kentucky RB Justin Taylor is expected to transfer to South Carolina State
Former Kentucky DE Steve Meilinger (1951-53) has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
Former Florida QB Danny Wuerffel (1993-96) has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as well
Backup Florida G DeVon Walker will transfer from Florida’s basketball program
Starting Tennessee G Trae Golden will transfer from Tennessee’s basketball program
Follow SEC football, basketball and recruiting each day at MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

Questions and opinions about the new SEC Network will likely be dissected and debated until well after the Network launches in August of 2014.  Sunday papers are full of news and views on the topic.  We’ve assembled a compendium of thought on the topic starting with this quote from Arkansas coach Bret Bielema – who’s knows a thing or two about a conference network – since he came from Big Ten country, where the Big Ten network officially launched in 2007.  Bielema addressed the topic of how the network can impact recruiting.

“I have seen it first hand with the Big Ten network. At Wisconsin (where Bielema previously coached), the issue wasn’t recruiting in the state. We were the state university, we had great fans, but for us to be successful, we had to expand out of the Midwest.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I would go into a prospect’s house in Florida and California, and he’d know all about us. He’d say ‘I’ve seen all your games.’ That didn’t mean he had seen them on Saturday. He was watching the replays on Tuesday night. That was huge.”

Here’s what MrSEC said about the recruiting impact on Friday. Here’s how others around the league have reacted to the news.

* Kevin Scarbinsky on what other league commissioners were thinking about during the unveiling of the SEC Network: ”Any vision you might’ve had of unseating the SEC as the most dominant collection of institutions of higher learning in the country just faded to black.”

* Officials at Ole Miss and Mississippi State look forward to the national attention the new network will provide.  MSU coach Dan Mullen: “Everyone around the country is going to learn a lot more about Mississippi State.”

* Ole Miss A.D. Ross Bjork on the financial impact.   “The finances, which have yet to be defined, can be transformational for our program.” MrSEC tackled the financial impact on Friday.

* Missouri A.D. Mike Alden: “Data shows that the two most valuable brands in college sports today… are the SEC, No. 1, and ESPN is No. 2,”

* For Missouri, “there will be long-term benefits for the short-term pain.”

* “Will the SEC Network advocate hard-hitting journalism, pump sunshine, or somewhere in the middle?”

The SEC announced its new network on Thursday in a big way because the league wanted to make it a big deal.

And it is a big deal. It’s big in terms of money, impact and attention the league will receive.

It will also be beneficial in recruiting.

Prospects already know the SEC is the strongest conference in college football. They’ve seen it win the most BCS championships (seven straight) and produce the most NFL draft picks (63 this year, more than double the next highest conference).

Recruits also know ESPN. It’s their No. 1 option when it comes to sports viewing. And while Fox Sports 1 is on the way and CBS and NBC continue to grow television options to challenge ESPN, the truth is the Worldwide Leader will continue to be No. 1 for the foreseeable future.

So with ESPN and the SEC extending their relationship to 2034, that should should only create opportunities for the league to sell itself to the best prospects in the Southeast and nation.

“It’s all about exposure and (the SEC network gives us) more exposure in the footprint of our 11 states in the Southeast,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Of course, we target the Southeast and Texas pretty hard, as far as our recruiting is concerned, as well as doing some national recruiting. The more exposure you get, the better it’s going to be for recruiting obviously, and also your fan base.”

It also helps that the SEC already has a strong lead in recruiting against the rest of the country. The conference finished with five of the top 10 and 10 of the top 25 teams in the 2013 class rankings by Rivals.

The SEC already has five of the top 10 teams listed in the 2014 class rankings. That doesn’t include Alabama, which is ranked No. 17 and will surely climb when the commitments start to roll in for the Crimson Tide.

But the SEC still has room to grow in terms of talent. Schools like Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are recruiting at higher levels than we’ve ever seen and Tennessee, a once dominant recruiter in the SEC, is beginning to have success again on the recruiting trail.

And all 14 schools in the SEC plan to use the conference’s new network, which won’t launch until August 2014, as part of their sales pitch to prospects.

“We’ve had our own network at CBS and several games on ESPN,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We had a great partnership with them. And now we’re going to improve on that. It’s going to be even better in the future.”

It’s hard to argue against Saban. The SEC had 12 prospects selected in the first round of the NFL draft last week. Who says that record won’t be broken in the future?

With Texas A&M’s early success in the SEC and big plans for the future, expect prospects from one of the country’s most talent-rich states to show more interest in playing in the SEC. Especially when they all have more access to watch the SEC in football and other sports.

As Georgia coach Mark Richt said Thursday, the impact of the SEC network is “going to be huge, really.” And he’s right.

Tennessee lands a big one

That’s a literal and figurative statement.

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Over the weekend, word leaked out of the Wisconsin camp that the Badgers were interested in locking up a neutral site game against LSU.  The neutral site?  The Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field… which isn’t exactly neutral.

Earlier this week, LSU AD Joe Alleva admitted that his school is in discussions with Badger brass about the matchup:

“We’re still in the preliminary stages of talking to them.  It’s too early.  There’s too many things to consider.  The biggest thing to consider is the value of playing a game that far away versus the value of playing a game in Tiger Stadium.  That’s what it comes down to.

From a recruiting standpoint it’s a great game to tell kids you are going to play in Lambeau Field.  But Wisconsin is a long way away…

The novelty of playing at Lambeau is great, but there’s a whole lot of things to weigh.  The financial things.  We’ll see.”

Alleva said the schools are actually talking about playing two games against one another — one at Lambeau and one in Houston.