Da’Rick Rogers back practicing with Vols

Earlier this week there was some uncertainty swirling around Da’Rick Rogers‘ future with the Tennessee football program, with one report going so far as to speculate, in part via Rogers’ own words, that he was strongly considering a transfer to Div. 1-AA Georgia State.

After being held out of practice Thursday for what was officially labeled “internal things that needed taken care of”, Rogers was back at Vols practice Saturday. And, according to head coach Derek Dooley, all is good when it comes to the All-SEC wide receiver and his future with the Vols.

“You know, it was something he had to do, he did it and he’s back,” Dooley was quoted as saying by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, referring to the missed practice time earlier in the week. “He’s doing good. He had a good day out there today. He had good energy, good job covering punts a couple times. He’s obviously an extremely talented player. Glad he took care of what he had to do. …

“Da’Rick’s been fine. I don’t worry about that, and if he is not, then we handle it just like any other player.”

Dooley added that the transfer rumors to Georgia State “didn’t even come up” in conversations he’s had with the player, “and we’ve talked for hours since two days ago.”

Rogers’ tweets came three days ago on Wednesday, March 28, so this could merely be a matter of semantics on the coach’s part. What seems clear that, at least for now, Rogers will be a part of the Vols.

With Justin Hunter returning from a severe knee injury and limited this spring, the Vols could certainly use the Rogers who flashed his immense potential last season this year. That kind of production, team-leading totals in receptions (67), receiving yards (1,040) and receiving touchdowns (nine), would be difficult to replace, especially if Hunter is less than 100 percent to start the season or suffers a setback.

Another UGA player transfers

Following Saturday’s scrimmage, head coach Mark Richt confirmed that sophomore safety Marc Deas has decided to leave the Bulldogs football program. As was the case with defensive end Derrick Lott Friday, Richt said Deas decision was based on the desire for more playing time at another school.

“They love Georgia and we love them,” Richt said in comments distributed by the school. “They had a choice to make. They decided to move on. They’re great kids and we wish them well. … Their teammates understand they’ve got decisions to make and lives to live. No one likes losing a teammate, but we love them and if they think their best chance is at another school then I think their teammates understand.” Deas played in all 14 games for UGA in 2011.

Richt stressed to reporters afterwards that there were no academic or disciplinary issues behind the twin transfers. That stands in sharp contrast to issues that have hit UGA’s defense, specifically the secondary, throughout the offseason.

Clemson's Phillips confirms Georgia series with Clemson in 2013 and 2014

The home-and-home football series with the University of Georgia scheduled for 2013 (at Clemson) and 2014 (at Georgia) is a go, Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips confirmed Friday afternoon.

The series has been in doubt recently after the Atlantic Coast Conference decided to move to a nine-game conference schedule with the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse. The extra conference game would mean the Tigers would have to drop one out-of-conference opponent, and keeping the series with Georgia would mean that Clemson would have to drop from seven homes to six in 2014.

Not a problem, according to Phillips, who confirmed the series to TigerNet following the groundbreaking ceremonies for the indoor practice facility.

“Bottom line is this- we are going to play Georgia,” Phillips told TigerNet. "I can’t tell you how we are going to put all of the pieces together, but we are going to play Georgia in 2013 here and in 2014 we are going to Athens. We’re committed to the Georgia series. It has presented some very significant challenges for us because of the seven-game, six- game configuration on the home schedule.

“Coach Swinney definitely wants to play that series. I want to play it because the people would call in and say, ‘hey, there’s a reason we scheduled Georgia’. Our people want to see Georgia. It’s a great addition to our schedule and so we had a great conversation with Georgia. We are committed to playing that series. We’ve got some challenges associated with it, but we are going to play that series.”

Phillips said the administration has taken a look at financial constraints that six home games would bring, but thinks they have put together a budget that would allow the series to happen.

“[Dropping from seven home games to six home games] is the challenge because you build your budget around seven home games, but we’ve put together the figures and we think that we can make it happen. We are committed to making it happen,” he said. “And we will play the return game at Georgia in 2014. They [Georgia] want to play the series as well, but to be fair to them they needed to have assurance that we were going to play that or they needed to start looking.

“It was a good conversation and we assured them that we are going to play. Kyle Young who works on our schedule, Katie [Hill] works with our finances and myself- we ran the numbers and said, ‘okay, how can we run the numbers and play this series because it’s important to our people?’ That’s the direction we’re headed and that’s where we are.”

Phillips said the conversations started after the ACC announced the new schedule format.

“We talked to them after the decision by the conference and certainly we understand that decision, but we started having conversations about it,” he said. “I’ve been busy with [Georgia AD] Greg McGarity about it.”

by D. Hood

UGA losing DL Lott to transfer

In a press release, the Bulldogs announced that defensive lineman Derrick Lott will be transferring from the university. The release states that Lott is leaving in order to obtain more playing time.

“Derrick and I met and he believes he will have opportunities for more playing time elsewhere,” head coach Mark Richt said in a statement. ”We support him and will assist in any way possible during this process.”

Lott has played in five games the past two seasons. The 6-4, 303-pounder was projected as a backup to starting right defensive end Garrison Smith. A four-star member of UGA’s 2009 recruiting class, Lott was rated as the No. 27 defensive tackle by Rivals.com. Coming out of high school, Lott carried offers from, among others, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma State and South Carolina.

Mark Richt and the Players Share Blame for Suspensions

The Bulldogs suffered a blow on Thursday when linebacker Alec Ogletree and safety Baccari Rambo have reportedly tested positive for marijuana and will be suspended for multiple games during the 2012 season. This is nothing new to Rambo because he was suspended for the first game last season for the same offense. Rambo is appealing his decision and if the suspension stands and he has to miss six games, he’s considering moving on to the NFL via the supplemental draft. With Rambo and Ogletree out at the start of the season, nearly 50 percent of the starting defense will not dress on opening day because Sanders Commings is suspended for the first two games and Branden Smith is suspended for only one game.

So here’s a question concerning the Bulldogs’ off-the-field issues. Who is to blame for all this?

The reality is they live in Athens and they are around drugs and alcohol all the time. Richt and the rest of the coaching staff can only do and say so much to make sure the players stay away from all the distractions.

But at the end of the day, the athlete has to stand on his own two feet and has to be above the influence. The athletes for football or for any other sport at Georgia, have to realize they have too much going for them to have a little bit of unnecessary fun.

The players have to think before they do something that could potentially get them in trouble. If they know the situation is not going to turn out good, walk away. There’s nothing wrong with walking away and saying no.

There’s no telling how many games Ogletree and Rambo could miss. But no matter what happens, this is the last thing Bulldog fans wanted to hear because it has been the same old story for the last few years.

by B. Jones

Georgia Suspensions Put Bulldogs' SEC East Hopes in Tailspin

Despite avoiding Alabama, LSU and Arkansas in their 2012 SEC schedule, the Georgia Bulldogs seem to be confronting something bigger than that: themselves.

The actions of their defensive backs unit just seem to get worse and worse, and it's all very sad indeed for fans of the Red and Black.

First of all, starting corners Sanders Commings and Branden Smith got themselves in trouble. Commings is out for two games for violating team rules—which included battery charges after getting in trouble with a girlfriend in late January, while Smith got busted for marijuana possession during Spring Break.

And then comes the shot to UGA's big, foaming chops: the suspension of starting All-American safety—and appropriately—named Baccari Rambo for failing a drug test. He'll get four games.

Rambo's coach Alan Ingram told ESPN: "Bacarri went down to Panama City Beach with some friends," Ingram said. "One of the nights he went to bed before they did. He got up the next morning, was hungry and found some brownies on the table. He had some with some milk and told me, 'I got high.' The other guys got up and told him that the brownies were not for him. Apparently they were laced with marijuana."


"He was devastated," Ingram said. "Bacarri said, 'If I turn myself in, it is a four-game suspension. I don't want to let everyone down.' He wanted to go to (Georgia coach) Mark Richt and turn himself in, but he decided not to. He said, 'We'll roll the dice and see what happens.' "


He failed a drug test when he was back in Athens.

Although we're not sure what will happen to Rambo's case, we would hope that—and if the story's true—that he will see his suspension cut from four to two games.

The VFA has got one question about the whole incident: Why on earth did he decide not to turn himself in. Surely that would have probably been the honest thing to do, and more's the case, helped him avoid a long suspension? Now, there's going to be a problem for his team, and further down the line, with NFL staffs looking to see if they want to draft him.

Richt himself has refused to comment on anything until the process is done, preferring to concentrate on Spring Football. Which is going to be a pretty easy going for Georgia QB Aaron Murray, with no-one in the secondary to stop him.

by A. Fergusen

Arkansas's Joe Adams comes away with Johnny Rodgers Award

Earlier this week, four finalists were announced for the inaugural Johnny Rodgers National College Football Return Specialist Award.

As a surprise to probably no one, and highlighted by one of the most ridiculous punt returns I can remember, Arkansas’ Joe Adams has walked away with the hardware.

Adams led the NCAA with four punt returns for touchdowns in 2011 and finished the year with 356 return yards on 19 attempts. Those numbers were good enough to win Adams the title of the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Year.

“I’m honored to be the first recipient of the Johnny ‘The Jet’ Rodgers National College Football Return Specialist Award,” Adams said. “First of all, I want to thank my mom* because she helped me get where I am today. Also, I’d like to thank Johnny for choosing me for this award and my coaches at Arkansas for putting me in a position to succeed. This award would not have been possible without the other guys on the punt return unit who made key blocks during my returns. I’m looking forward to going to Omaha to accept this award on behalf of our program.”

The other finalists for the award were North Carolina’s T.J. Thorpe,Dustin Harris from Texas A&M and LSU’sTyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu.

Joe Adams, Honey Badger finalists for Johnny Rodgers award

The inaugural Johnny Rodgers National College Football Return Specialist Award will be given to the best return specialist in the sport. The four finalists for this year’s award are former Arkansas receiver Joe Adams, North Carolina’s T.J. Thorpe, Dustin Harris from Texas A&M and LSU’s Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu.

The award is named after 1972 Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska. The winner will be announced Thursday and be presented with the award during a banquet in Omaha, Neb., on April 12.

Another Auburn defensive lineman down for the spring with injury

Following the first workout in pads Monday, head coach Gene Chizik confirmed that defensive tackle Gabe Wright will miss the remainder of the spring sessions. The unspecified injury occurred during Saturday’s session. The good news, at least for now, is that the injury is not expected to impact the defensive tackle’s availability for the start of summer camp in a few months, Chizik said. Wright joins fellow lineman Nosa Eguae and Ken Carter, who will not participate at all during the spring due to their respective injuries.

As a true freshman in 2011, Wright was credited with three sacks and one tackle for loss in the 13 games he played.

‘Good progress’ made toward summer playoff recommendation

In a joint statement released by the BcS, all 11 conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, the meetings held in Dallas were described as “constructive and highly detailed.” Again, though, “no decisions have been made about the overall structure” of what would essentially become a playoff, although the statement acknowledged that the conversations “have entered the ‘brass tacks’ level.”

Potential translation of “brass tacks”? A four-team playoff has been agreed upon, in general, although there are numerous details left to work out. What are those details? The statement explains some of the questions that still need answered by the commissioners before any proposal moves up the chain of command:

For example, if we change the current format, would we play some games on campus or all games on neutral sites? If some games are on campus, is that too much of a competitive advantage? If all games are at neutral sites, would fans be able to travel to two games in a row? How would teams be selected? By a committee, by the current ranking formula, or by a different formula? When exactly would games be scheduled, considering finals, holidays and our desire to avoid mid-January games?

The statement closed by saying that “we’re making good progress toward our self-imposed goal of making a final recommendation this summer to our governing bodies.”

The parties are next expected to meet in Miami at some point next month.

Raise pushes Saban to top spot on coaching pay scale

Nick Saban will indeed be the highest-paid football coach in the country in 2012.

According to the amended contract, Saban will be paid a “talent fee” of $5,071,666.66 plus a base salary of $245,000, which means his total base compensation for the 2012 season will be just over $5.3 million.

That total will trump Mack Brown, who was the highest-paid coach in 2011 but will make just over $5.2 million from Texas this year.

Dooley, coaches have been tinkering with roster in off-season

"It flew by," Dooley said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. "Obviously recruiting always goes fast, a sprint to signing day, and all that time in December where you would have spent some energy on bowl (preparations), we put a lot of time into sort of redefining our offseason and taking a hard look at some of the things we needed to do differently going into next season -- and of course, hiring some new coaches.

"That ate up the bulk of the time, and then after recruiting because we essentially had a whole new staff, we had to kind of start over. So I'm glad we had the time."

The Vols apparently maximized it in the weight room with Dooley stressing improvements made by every player on the team on several occasions. The coaching staff has already used that time to tinker with the roster before even leading a practice, particularly on defense where a new scheme has created new positions and led to a handful of moves on the "organizational" chart released by Dooley.

Among the notable changes:

-- The Jack linebacker position will feature a battle between Jacques Smith and Willie Bohannon, two players who formerly played on the defensive line.

-- The change to a 3-4 defense and the search for additional linebackers to run it meant a move there for Brent Brewer from safety and a switch from offense to defense for Channing Fugate.

-- Rajion Neal, who finished last season working mainly at wide receiver, has resumed playing running back on a full-time basis.

-- Of recent injury concern, right guard Zach Fulton suffered a stress fracture in his foot and won't be ready to participate as camp opens.

-- Defensive lineman Corey Miller is dealing with academic issues and is not currently working out with the team.

by A. Ward

Pay bumps coming for Saban, staff?

According to the Birmingham News, the compensation arm of the University of Alabama Systems board of trustees will meet Monday to discuss the contracts of two newly-hired Saban assistants — offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and outside linebackers coach Lance Thompson. Additionally — warning ! alliteration ahead!!! — the compensation committee’s conference call will consider, the News writes, “contract amendments for head coach Nick Saban and seven of his assistants.”

One of the “seven… assistants” is defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who at $850,000 was one of the highest-paid assistants for his job title last season. Smart also oversaw a title-winning defense that finished 2011 No. 1 in nearly every major statistical defensive category. Based on the performance of “his” defense, Smart surely should get a salary bump. As (rightly) will the other holdovers from the crystal-hoisting staff.

The question is, will, or, more to the point, should Saban get the compensation committee bump? In 2011, Mack Brown was the highest-paid coach in America at nearly $5.2 million.

Symbolic or not, and probably in spite of what he actually cares about, it’s time for the financials to match the reality that most don’t or won’t want to acknowledge: Nick Saban is the best college football coach in the country.

by B. Taylor

Vols Charlie Coiner, two years removed from coaching, thrilled to be back

It was a relatively short time, but there was plenty to learn. Before there was FirstDown Playbook, there were countless nights inside the home of John Butler, the director of the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship and director of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas. The sessions were offered at no cost. Butler respected Coiner's dedication enough to help him find answers to all the questions that must be addressed before launching a small business.

"I want to start a company. What do I do? ... How do you take it to the market? ... Where's the market? ... How do you make it bigger?" Butler expected nothing less from a coach, especially a football coach.

"To be successful when every play stops, you start all over again," Butler said. "If you think about that in my field of research, which is based in entrepreneurship, we're always strategizing to make things better. That's what innovation is all about. Taking old ideas and adding to them."

Coiner partnered with the Austin-based Clarus Agency to design the app. He brought on former NFL tight end Derek Schouman, whom Coiner coached during his time at Buffalo, as an adviser. All told, he's invested nearly $200,000 in the project, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

"I don't want to make light of anything I did in this off year," Coiner said. "It was a lot of work, a lot of detail and a well thought out plan that was executed."

The startup was initially delayed when Coiner retreated to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a few months to serve as a temporary defensive assistant for the 2010 season. He was replacing John Blake, who was fired for his involvement in a slew of NCAA violations, and he was satisfying his coaching fix. His last game on the sidelines before he returned to finish the project came against UT in the Music City Bowl.

"I didn't get far away from football even during that year," Coiner said. "I drew football plays on an almost daily basis."

The app was launched Jan. 6. Consumers can access 50 plays for free before paying $19.99 for access to more. It's too early to tell, but Butler said he anticipates that the bulk of FirstDown Playbook's clients will be at the pee-wee and high school level.

"In the future," Butler said. "I expect to see a football coach walking the sidelines with an iPad rather than a piece of paper."

Before Coiner received interest for his spot at UT, an exit strategy was in place for his departure. His colleagues in Austin are currently executing the day-to-day operations of the company while he focuses exclusively on UT's special teams and tight ends. He's doing it with an added appreciation for what it takes to succeed in the business world and far less luggage.

"I learned a lot about being able to adapt on the run; a banker here, a lawyer here, those kinds of things. It was really good for me," Coiner said. "I have an appreciation for what Coach Dooley goes through a little bit now. So many people tugging you, want this, want that. "But make no mistake about it: I'm glad to be back in coaching, I'm a coach and I hope to coach until I'm ready to retire."

Georgia's Isaiah Crowell is ‘running for the Heisman’

The sophomore-to-be has been a sensation ever since he arrived on campus last year and ended up leading the team in rushing in 2011. When spring practice started for the Bulldogs on Tuesday, Crowell once again found himself on top of the depth chart at a young, but loaded backfield.

With 2012 already looking promising, Crowell admitted he had high goals for himself this year.

“My first goal is to be a good teammate, help my team get to the national championship,” Crowell said after Tuesday’s practice. “My second goal, I’m trying to run for the Heisman.“

It’s certainly possible. Alabama’s Mark Ingram won it in 2009 as a sophomore and Trent Richardson was a serious candidate last year. As was South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, until a torn ACL cut his season short. Heading into this year, and in no particular order, most would put the following on their preseason Heisman lists: Lattimore, Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson,Montee Ball, Denard Robinson, Honey Badger and Geno Smith.

It’s a crowded field filled with veteran players, but anything can happen during the season. If Crowell wants to make a run, his first order of business is stay out of trouble, as he was suspended for a game last year for testing positive for drugs. His next should be to stay healthy, as an ankle injury nagged at the RB last season.

Georgia CB on probation following domestic violence case

Georgia’s senior cornerback, who was arrested on domestic violence charges in January, had his court case resolved before Athens-Clarke County Judge Charles Auslander in Magistrate Court on Tuesday afternoon. Commings pleaded guilty to simple battery and disorderly conduct, was sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $200 plus surcharges, Athens-Clarke County General Solicitor C.R. Chisholm confirmed.

Commings was also ordered to do 40 hours of community service, undergo anger management counseling and a substance abuse evaluation and will be subject to random drug and alcohol screenings. He was also ordered to have no contact with his victim. Commings was granted first-offender treatment so his probation will be waived once he satisfies the orders of the court.

“Commings was not treated any differently than anybody else in his situation,” Chisholm said Wednesday morning. “His sentence was comparable to other domestic violence cases in which there were no previous charges or criminal history.”

Commings, 22, was arrested on Jan. 21 by University of Georgia police and booked into Clarke County Jail on charges of domestic violence/simple battery. Police were waved down by the victim and four witnesses a short time after Commings and his ex-girlfriend had a late-night argument in downtown Athens. Commings was alleged to have struck the young woman as he tried to push her away at the corner of Broad and Jackson streets.

“This was an unfortunate situation between young people who had dated for a long time and we were happy to bring it to resolution and move on,” said attorney Edward Tolley, who represented Commings. “That’s what we did.”

In February, Commings was suspended for the first two games of the 2012 season by head coach Mark Richt. Commings also was punished by the UGA Office of Student Conduct, which placed him six months of student probation, ordered him to do 25 hours of community service, attend an alcohol education class and an anger management class.

Commings started all 14 games for the Bulldogs at cornerback this past season. He had 55 tackles and an interception and led the team with 12 pass break-ups.

Clemson-Georgia series could get axed

Georgia’s athletic director Greg McGarity confirmed Tuesday that UGA and Clemson are in talks of possibly canceling a two-game series that was expected, as of last year, to be the season-opener for each school in 2013 and ’14.

According to Dawgs247, Clemson initiated the talks after the ACC agreed to a nine-game conference schedule last month. And although South Carolina state lawmakers shot down legislation proposing the Clemson-South Carolina game be assured of its continuation, it sounds as though Clemson wants to make sure that game does continue.

With just two non-conference games available, Clemson reportedly wants to ensure they’re able to have seven home games annually. Georgia was set to visit Clemson on Aug. 31, 2013 with the Tigers returning the favor the next season. As far as the South Carolina game, Clemson would travel to Columbia in 2013 before hosting the Gamecocks in 2014.

RB Carlton Thomas transferring from ‘Dawgs

The school announced today that senior-to-be Carlton Thomas was transferring from the program, though the release does not explicitly state why. However, Thomas has only two career starts in 27 games and a total of 159 carries for 725 yards and four touchdowns. With Georgia’s young and crowded backfield, more playing time in his final season easily could have been behind Thomas’ decision.

Thomas has also had his fair share of off-the-field issues as well. He was one of three UGA running backs suspended for a game last season for reportedly failing a drug test. Thomas was also suspended for UGA’s season-opener against Boise State for violation of team rules.

Below are statements from Thomas and coach Mark Richt:

Thomas: “This decision was based solely on the fact that this is my last year to play and my parents and I felt like it was the right move to make. I want to make more of an impact on the field. I didn’t want to disrupt Georgia’s team and preparation for next season so I made the final decision to leave earlier rather than later in the year.

I have learned a lot from the coaches during my time at Georgia and have grown as a man so I appreciate the opportunity that being a Bulldog has given me. I connected with the University of Georgia during my time in Athens on a personal level and will never forget the relationships I developed and the life lessons I learned.

“I know I will take everything I learned over the last several years and try to spread that knowledge wherever life takes me in the future.”

Richt: “Carlton came to me recently to discuss his thoughts. I understand his decision and appreciate all the contributions he’s made to our program. We wish him nothing but the very best in continuing his football career.”

by B.K.

Florida CB back to practicing after neck injury

Via the Orlando Sentinel, Roberson has been medically cleared to practice. However, Roberson will be in a non-contact jersey all spring.

“He’s a guy you’re glad to see out there, more than anything, for him,” Muschamp said. “It’s hard for him to be non-contact. He’s a competitive guy and he likes to play the game.”

The injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain, but Muschamp said there was displacement in Roberson’s neck that required the cornerback to be placed in neck braces for the last few months.

In 10 games last season, Roberson recorded 22 tackles and an interception.

Danny O’Brien checking out Ole Miss

According to tweets from Ole Miss beat writer Yancy Porter of OMSpirit.com (Ole Miss’ Scout.com affiliate) and CBS’ Bruce Feldman, O’Brien is set to visit the Rebels on Tuesday. Former Terps tackle Max Garcia will also be on that visit.
O’Brien was the ACC’s Rookie of the Year in 2010 under old head coach Ralph Friedgen, but was benched midway through last season after an inconsistent start. Still, O’Brien was productive enough early on in his career that he’s still one of the most sought after transfers this offseason, and the Rebels got zero production out of the quarterback spot last season.

Of course, Ole Miss was bad in general on offense and adding O’Brien could give the Rebs a boost. As a plus, O’Brien still has two years of eligibility left even though he’s on track to get his undergraduate degree this spring.

Bruce Ellington reconsidering football with South Carolina

Speaking with WCIV in Charleston, Ellington’s former high school coach, Jerry Brown, said Ellington had a conversation with South Carolina WR coach Steve Spurrier Jr. over the weekend about coming back to the team. Ellington has been on the Gamecocks basketball team since 2010, but decided to add football to his list this past year.

In a related note, South Carolina basketball coach Darrin Horn was fired last week, but Ellington says that did not affect his decision to reconsider football.

Ellington posted 707 all-purpose yards in 2011, with 211 receiving yards, 106 rushing yards and 390 yards on kick returns.

Quarterback race will be wide open as Scott Loeffler brings his offense to Auburn

Finding a starting quarterback won't come quickly. Loeffler says the battle between Clint Moseley, Kiehl Frazier and Zeke Pike will almost certainly go beyond a spring practice that starts Friday. Look for a resolution in the fall.

"We're not going to worry about who's No. 1, 2 and 3 this spring. What we're going to do, essentially, is learn the system and improve every day. The fall will be here quick enough to name our quarterback," Loeffler said.

Loeffler said he's watched film of every Auburn game last year. The results have been inconclusive. He saw Barrett Trotter start the first seven games, but he decided to skip his senior year. He saw Moseley start the final six games, but he didn't claim the job going into spring ball. He saw Kiehl Frazier throw just 12 passes as a freshman and only has his high school reputation to measure his passing game.

"At the end of the day, my job is to develop those guys as best we can in these four weeks, and it's their job to compete and win the job," Loeffler said. "My job is simply to develop them to the best of my ability, and obviously that process will continue to the fall."

Loeffler has some familiarity with the three. He watched them in football camps or recruited them while he was at Florida. He wants more.

"The only evaluation I truly have of Kiehl throwing the football is three or four years ago standing watching his spring practice when I was at Florida. That was a long time ago," Loffler said.

He saw Pike at a Florida camp when he was a high school sophomore. He knew Moseley as Mr. Football in Alabama.

Still, "I don't know where we are yet. That's what this spring is all about," Loeffler said.

Razorback's arrest...Update

According to the Associated Press, Peacock was arrested after using a stolen debit card to purchase gas at a local convenience store.

In Peacock’s arrest report, it says university police became aware an Arkansas student’s debit card was taken from her purse while left unattended in a class in the Fine Arts Building on March 5. After checking the student’s bank records, police discovered that her debit card had been used for a $1 preauthorization charge and then $35.01 in gas at a local convenience store.

The station’s video camera showed Peacock’s silver Lincoln Town Car was at the pump when the card was used. Police also later discovered that Peacock has a class at the same time as the victim in the Fine Arts Building, and that he lives near the convenience store where the gas was purchased.

Starting Razorbacks lineman arrested on felony theft charge

According to Matt Jones of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, offensive tackle Jason Peacock (pictured, No. 71) was arrested Friday and hit with one charge of felony theft of property. No details of what led to the arrest or the charge have been released. A court date for Peacock, who was being held in the county jail on a $2,500 bond, has been set for April 16. Head coach Bobby Petrino is aware of the arrest and said late last night that Peacock has been suspended indefinitely. Whatever incident led to Peacock’s arrest occurred one day after the Razorbacks’ final practice before spring break. After that practice, Petrino spoke on his players doing the right things on their time off.

“What I’m worried about is to make sure everybody does everything right and is very safe,” Petrino said.

Vols add Josh Conklin to staff as safeties coach

A little more than a week after one more position popped open, the Vols tapped defensive coordinator Josh Conklin from The Citadel to fill the final vacancy and end a stretch that has been full of them for the Vols. In addition to leading the defense for the Bulldogs for the last two years, Conklin was also responsible for safeties - which is the position he took over Friday in the wake of Terry Joseph's departure to Nebraska last week.

"Josh brings successful coordinator experience and consistent secondary production to our defensive staff," UT coach Derek Dooley said in a school release. "He comes highly recommended and I believe will be a great fit for our football staff."

It's certainly undergone a dramatic facelift over the last three months. Joseph was the sixth assistant to leave for another program since UT's season ended with a disappointing loss at Kentucky and without a bowl appearance, and he was the seventh overall following the parting of ways with wide receivers coach Charlie Baggett. The Vols didn't have much time to waste in making one more hire with spring practice set to open on March 26, and they moved quickly to find somebody to work with another new assistant to work with the secondary. As originally planned with Joseph, the duties at the back of the defense will be split between Derrick Ansley with the cornerbacks as Conklin handles the safeties.

Soccer star Isom doesn't make LSU team

A female soccer player and homecoming queen from LSU has missed the cut for the football team after her tryout as a kickoff specialist, coach Les Miles said Tuesday.

Senior Mo Isom, the former goalkeeper for the LSU women's soccer team, will be invited to try out as a kicker in August as she continues her bid to be the second female to play football at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported.

"We reviewed her skill, the things she can do and do well," Miles said. "We kind of felt like there's four guys on the team right now that would be ahead of anybody that tried out the other day, including Mo. I told her that today.

"She's going to go back and concentrate on extra points and field goals. She did not want to take that she couldn't make the team. She said, 'Do I get another opportunity if I get a lot better?' I said, 'Sure.' "

The 22-year-old Isom, who stands 6 feet tall, played goalkeeper for four years at LSU and was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2008.

She once scored a goal from a 90-yard free kick.

Starting LB to miss all of spring for the Hogs

Head coach Bobby Petrino confirmed in a release issued Wednesday afternoon that linebacker Alonzo Highsmith will miss all of spring practice after sustaining an injury to his left pec. The injury occurred on Tuesday, one day before the first of 15 spring sessions.

The school did not reveal how the injury occurred.

“I am extremely disappointed for Alonzo,” Petrino said in the release. “He had an impressive first year for us and I know he had high expectations for himself this spring. Alonzo has demonstrated he is a leader on our team and the coaching staff expects him to continue to be a strong part of building our defense.” The school also didn’t state whether surgery will be necessary or the impact the injury will have on his availability for the start of summer camp — or the 2012 season itself. After transferring to the Razorbacks from Phoenix College, Highsmith started 13 games for the Hogs in 2011. Highsmith led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss — a total that was 10th in the SEC — and his 4.5 sacks were good for second on the team.

He finished third on the team with 80 tackles.

Razorback's Knile Davis might be limited for the spring

Head coach Bobby Petrino acknowledged Tuesday that, while Davis has been medically cleared for the spring, there’s a chance the back will not participate in contact drills. That tack is likely a case of the staff understandably being overly cautious, however; Petrino said Davis ran a 4.33 40-yard dash this offseason, the fastest mark on the team.

Still, “better safe than sorry” appears to be the immediate course of action.

“I haven’t decided yet as far as live tackling or anything like that, but everything else he’ll be full go,” Petrino said in quotes distributed by the school. “I think we’ll play that by ear and really keep an eye on whether he gets sore, how he’s running. I feel like he’s 100 percent. His testing has shown that he is, but we’ll still wait and see.”

While the staff doesn’t seem inclined to take many if any chances with the dynamic playmaker, the player himself has declared himself fully healthy.

“I’m feeling good,” Davis said. “I’m 100 percent, and I’m ready to ride.”

The Razorbacks open spring practice Wednesday.

Davis broke his left ankle during a camp scrimmage last August and missed all of the 2011 season. A return to full health for Davis is borderline imperative if the Razorbacks intend to get over the Alabama/LSU hump, the two SEC West programs that have handed UA five of its 10 losses the past three seasons.

In 2010, Davis led all SEC running backs in with 1,322 rushing yards and was fifth in rushing touchdowns with 13. Such a performance — despite the injury — will have Davis’ name littering many a preseason Heisman watch list.

Mark Richt doesn’t think UGA has a discipline issue

After having one of their better years in a while in regard to off-field problems for players, trouble is starting to stack up a little for Georgia.

Branden Smith’s arrest for marijuana possession in South Alabama Sunday night represented the second arrest of UGA football player this year — cornerback Sanders Commings was arrested for a domestic violence incident in January — and third if one counts tight end Orson Charles’ arrest for DUI last week (Charles declared for the NFL draft and not an official member of the team).

And that’s just players who have run into trouble from the law. Head coach Mark Richt dismissed three players from the team in January for stealing from a teammate.

But Richt doesn’t believe there is a lack of discipline in the program and contends that the Bulldogs are stricter than most programs when it comes to keeping players in line.

“When guys do make mistakes, two things are very important: How we handle it and how he handles it,” Richt said. “Are we going to discipline our players the way they ought to be disciplined according to what they’ve done? I think we do that. I think we do that more strictly than most people do. If you look at other people’s policies, ours is much tougher than just about anybody other’s pocliy I’ve seen. So because some of our guys end up with a game suspension or whatever it may be, a kid at another school may do the very same thing and their policy doesn’t say that it has to be that way. I mean, I don’t care what they do. All I’m saying is I think it’s important how you handle it.”

Unlike many programs, UGA’s punishments are written down in black and white in the Student-Athlete Handbook. For instance, in the case of Smith’s arrest for marijuana possession, that falls under UGA’s codes for “alcohol and drug-related misconduct.” That means an automatic suspension from 10 percent of competition dates (in this case one game), future drug-testing, education and counseling and additional discipline as determined by what’s called the “Comprehensive Action Plan Committee.”

Said Richt: “Our goal when our guys make mistakes is to find out the truth about it and then discipline it properly. The second thing that is important is how they respond to it. If they learn from their mistakes and become better people because of it, then that’s a positive thing in that guy’s life. If he’s not truthful about it and acts like he didn’t do anything wrong and his behavior isn’t going to change in any way shape or form, then he’s probably not going to be at Georgia very long. That’s just kind of the way things go. To think every single guy is not ever going to make a mistake and be perfect, I don’t think is realistic. It’s certainly what we search for. Is it frustrating? Yes, it is.”

Kenny Miles on South Carolina’s spring roster

Gamecocks running back Kenny Miles has been undecided about his future in Columbia, with transfer rumors swirling since January. The State‘s Josh Kendall noted that a decision from Miles was expected by the start of spring practice, which, wouldn’t you know it, starts today.

It now appears Miles is going to stay with South Carolina for his final year. Via a tweet from Darryl Slater of the Charleston Post and Courier, a school spokesperson says Miles is on the latest spring roster as of last week. Because Miles graduated in December, he could play anywhere in 2012 without having to sit out a year.

The start of spring practice was a reported deadline for Miles; there’s obviously still time for the senior-to-be to go another route, and with Marcus Lattimore back in the lineup, playing time could be even slimmer for Miles next year.

Ellington giving up Gamecocks football for hoops

The Gamecocks announced via a press release Monday that All-SEC Freshman Bruce Ellington has decided to commit to playing basketball for the Gamecocks and will no longer be a part of the football program. The move is actually a return to a full-time commitment to the hardwood for Ellington; in 2010-11 Ellington was USC’s leading scorer, and he played this past hoops season as well.

In March of last year the wide receiver decided to give up the round ball for an oblong one. Now, he’s officially switched his sports path.

“Basketball’s always been my first love,” said Ellington in a statement. “After giving it a lot of thought, this is the decision I’ve made. If you want to be great at something you have to commit to it full-time. I appreciate Coach Spurrier for giving me an opportunity to play football at South Carolina.

“It was a great experience, but right now I want to focus on basketball. I also want to thank all the fans for their support throughout my time in Columbia.”

During the 2011 football season, Ellington posted 707 all-purpose yards for the Gamecocks, with 211 receiving yards, 106 rushing yards and 390 yards on kick returns.

Mizzou QB gets arrested on traffic warrants

The Columbia Tribune reports Glaser’s arrest took place early Sunday morning. According to local police, Glaser knocked on the door of a female neighbor for unspecified reasons, at which time an unidentified male came to the door and promptly hit Glaser in the face for, again, reasons that haven’t been disclosed. Witnesses to the incident called the police, but only Glaser was arrested. But the reserve QB wasn’t arrested because of the alleged “scuffle.” Rather, Glaser was arrested as a result of two out-of-county warrants stemming from an unpaid speeding ticket he received on Nov. 24 of last year. The warrant for Glaser’s arrest was issued after he failed to appear in court on Jan. 23, and then again on Feb. 9. It’s not the first time Glaser has been arrested for missing court dates, either. The quarterback was arrested in September 2010 for missing a court appearance related to another speeding ticket. Glaser reportedly paid the fine, but the warrant wasn’t removed from his records. Glaser is currently third on Missouri’s depth chart as the Tigers move forward with spring practice.

Pac-12 leaders eye switch from BCS to playoff system

Leaders of the Pac-12 Conference agreed in principle Saturday to try to end college football's Bowl Championship Series, proposing its replacement with a playoff system that would allow only conference winners to play for college football's national title.

"I don't hear anyone saying business as usual is acceptable," said Edward Ray, Oregon State University's president and chairman of the Pac-12 universities' CEO group. "We need change."

Though a formal vote was not taken among the top Pac-12 university officials who attended Saturday, they expect that to occur at their next meeting later this year. If the Pac-12 makes its formal recommendation as expected in June, it would come just before BCS bowls prepare late this summer to start negotiations on BCS contract renewals. The BCS contracts expire in early 2014.

The Pac-12 action is not unexpected. Arizona State University President Michael Crow advocated for the idea in Phoenix earlier this year. College football and the BCS have come under increasing criticism amid reports of lax financial oversight and administrative abuses and questions about the fairness of the bowl-selection system. Presidents and chancellors of the Pac-12 Conference schools discussed the future of the BCS on Saturday behind closed doors at a hotel adjacent to Staples Center, home of the Pac-12 men's and women's basketball championship games.

What emerged, according to Ray and Crow, was consensus that the current BCS system needs to significantly change and that it should be replaced by a playoff system that may or may not include current BCS bowl members, including the Valley's Fiesta Bowl. However, the Pac-12 chief executives want to protect the iconic Rose Bowl's status as an elite postseason game in which only representatives from the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences play. In a playoff scenario, it might or might not be one of the playoff games.

thanks to AZ Central.com

Shackelford’s status for Ole Miss in 2012 uncertain

A torn ACL suffered during spring practice last April kept Ole Miss’ D.T. Shackelford out for all of the 2011 season, but the linebacker was expected to return this year. Unfortunately, he won’t be available for spring practice this year. Even more unfortunately, his availability for the 2012 season appears to be up in the air as well.

First-year Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze revealed Saturday that Shackelford underwent a second surgery last week on his injured knee. Freeze said that Shackelford’s participation in summer camp is questionable at this point in time.

“Yes there is a chance [Shackelford will return for camp] but certainly not something that we would feel definite about at this point,” Freeze said according to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

A return to health by Shackelford would be a huge boon to an Ole Miss defense that finished dead last among SEC teams in total yards allowed per game (419.3) and points per game (32.1). As a sophomore in 2010, Shackelford played in 12 games, starting six of them. He led the team in sacks with five, and finished second with nine tackles for loss.

by J Taylor

All-American tackle moves to the center of the Tide’s line

Last year Barrett Jones was one of the top left tackles in the country, earning unanimous first-team All-American honors from, among others, the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and Football Writers Association of America. He was also named as the winner of the 2011 Outland Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s best interior lineman.

After flirting with an early move to the NFL, Jones announced in late December that he was returning to the Tide for another season. Somewhat surprisingly, though, that final season won’t include a return to the same position.

As the defending BcS champions opened spring practice Friday, Jones was not working on the outside of the Tide’s offensive line. Instead, the senior-to-be was in the middle of the trenches, working at the center position as the spring officially kicked off.

And, according to head coach Nick Saban, this was no experiment; Jones is moving to center full-time — provided sophomore Cyrus Kouandjio, who is coming back from a knee injury, can prove he’s a capable and healthy replacement for Jones as quarterback AJ McCarrron‘s blindside protector.

“We thought he was a starter last year,” Saban said of Kouandjio. “Obviously, he’s a freshman, but he made tremendous progress. Obviously, his injury set him back a little bit, but he’s worked very hard and made a good recovery.

“We think he can be a very, very good player. There’s no experiment involved in Barrett playing center. That experiment was all done last year. He got a lot of reps and played some in games. I don’t think there’s any question about the fact he’ll do a really good job.”

by J.Taylor

Dooley adds yet another new assistant to Vols staff

For the seventh time since the end of the 2011 regular season, Derek Dooley has added a new assistant to his heavily-revamped Tennessee coaching staff.

The latest addition is Josh Conklin, who will take over as coach of the the Vols’ safeties, the team announced today. It had previously been announced that Derrick Ansley will coach the Vols’ cornerbacks.

Conklin and Ansley will replace Terry Joseph, who officially left as defensive backs coach for the same job at Nebraska last week.

“Josh brings successful coordinator experience and consistent secondary production to our defensive staff,” said Dooley in a statement. “He comes highly recommended and I believe will be a great fit for our football staff.”

Conklin comes to UT from The Citadel, where he served the last two years as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Prior to that, he had served on coaching staffs at Wofford (2007-09) and South Dakota State (2003-06).

With Conklin’s addition, Dooley will have an entirely new defensive staff from the one that “helped” the Vols go 5-7 in 2011. The only holdovers from last year’s staff come from the offensive side — offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and wide receivers coach Darin Hinshaw, who was actually quarterbacks coach last season. Dooley had previously announced that Chaney will take over QBs so that Hinshaw can assume the position created by Charlie Baggett‘s “retirement” in December.

Two ’12 Auburn coordinators worth one ’11 Malzahn

On Thursday, AU released documents detailing the contracts of Gene Chizik‘s new assistant coaches and, as expected, the new defensive boss will be the highest-paid coach on Chizik’s staff. Brian VanGorder (pictured), hired to replace Ted Roof earlier this year, will earn $850,000 annually on his two-year contract.

Roof, who left Auburn in December for the same job at UCF before taking the same job at Penn State in January, “earned” $500,000 in 2011.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer notes that VanGorder’s salary ties him with Alabama’s Kirby Smart as the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football.

On the offensive side of the ball, Scot Loeffler will make roughly one-third of what his predecessor pulled in. Loeffler’s contract, a two-year deal as well, will pay the former Temple coordinator $500,000 in both 2012 and 2013. Loeffler was officially added to the staff in late January.

New defensive backs coach Willie Martinez will make $255,000 on his one-year contract.

by J. Taylor

Only conference champs not the way Slive wants playoff to go

Suffice to say, the SEC — and possibly even a conference like the Big Ten — would not be in favor of any format that could potentially limit the number of teams the conference could put into a playoff. And, in an interview with Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News, SEC commissioner Mike Slive did not shy away from the fact that, while he’s open to talks on any concept, limiting a playoff to league title winners is not something he — and presumably the presidents he serves — is prepared to get behind.

“I’m willing to have a conversation about (only conference champions), but if you were going to ask me today, that would not be the way I want to go,” Slive told. “It really is early in the discussions, notwithstanding what some commissioners say publicly. There’s still a lot of information that needs to be generated.”

Taking such a stance would certainly make sense as limiting a playoff to conference champs would’ve impacted the SEC on a couple of occasions the past few years. In addition to last year’s title game, the SEC has finished a regular season with two teams inside the top four in the BcS rankings — 2008 (Florida No. 2, Alabama No. 4) and 2006 (Florida No. 2), LSU No. 4).

Of course, it remains unclear whether BCS-type rankings will be a part of any type of playoff that may be instituted, but the point remains the same: the SEC, the strongest football conference in the country, especially in the top half of the league, will not go easily into any system that could potentially limit its opportunities.

Florida OC signs three-year deal with Gators

Nearly two months after former Boise State offensive coordinator Brent Pease took the same job with Florida, the details of Pease’s contract have been released.

Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, multiple media outlets were able to get its hands on the details of Pease’s contract, as well as two other other assistant coaches new to Will Muschamp‘s staff. Pease has signed a three-year deal worth $490,000 annually plus a $100,000 signing bonus. Pease is also set to receive longevity bonuses (also $100k) after the second and third years of the contract.

New offensive line coach Tim Davis signed a one-year contract worth $275,000 last month and director of strength and conditioning Jeff Dillman signed a two-year contract worth $215,000 annually.

Female kicker to give LSU football a shot

According to WDSU-TV, LSU women’s soccer player Mo Isom will get a tryout Tuesday with the Tigers football team, which began spring practice earlier this month. This would actually constitute Isom’s second “stint” with the Tigers, having practiced kickoffs and field goals with the team last September.

Isom, who while a senior would still maintain a season of football eligibility, addressed her looming opportunity in a post made to her Facebook wall late last month.

“It will finally be time to show what over a year of diligent preparation has produced,” Isom wrote by way of the Sporting News. “I would appreciate prayers for continued health, a clear and undistracted mind, and absolute faith that no matter the result, God has my best interests at heart. I will control what I can control and leave the rest to Him! Let’s rewrite history in His name.”

The tryout is not Isom’s lone hurdle, though. As a redshirt junior last season, Drew Alleman connected on 16-of-18 field goal attempts and 62-of-63 extra point tries, earning second-team All-SEC honors. Barring injury or the utter loss of ability, Alleman will be LSU’s kicker in 2012.

Surgery knocks Eddie Lacy out of Tide’s spring practice

Head coach Nick Saban announced Tuesday that running back Eddie Lacy will miss all 15 of the spring sessions after undergoing surgery this offseason. Lacy had dealt with a foot issue throughout the latter portion of the 2011 season.

As the primary backup to Richardson last season, Lacy finished second on the team in rushing yards (674) and touchdowns (seven). he added 11 receptions for 131 yards out of the backfield.

Lacy won’t be the only Tide player to miss spring practice due to a health issue, either, as offensive lineman Arie Kouandjio will be held out as well due to offseason surgery. As a redshirt freshman in 2011, Kouandjio played in two games.

Additionally, three other players will not participate this spring due to suspensions, and all three also happen to be wide receivers — Michael Bowman, Ronald Carswell and Duron Carter. The development is the latest low point for Carter, who left Ohio State in June of 2010 and ultimately landed at Alabama in April of last year but did not see the field at all due to myriad issues.

“It is what it is. They’re suspended today. That’s all I know. If it changes, I’ll tell you,” head coach Nick Saban said of the suspended players and when they may return. “Why do we have to make decisions about things we don’t know the answers to? Why would you ask me to?”

Vols assistant Terry Joseph offered position at Nebraska...taken or not

It still hasn’t been made official by Nebraska, but the Terry Joseph-to-Cornhuskers reports appear to be all but set in stone. Joseph wouldn’t confirm to the Omaha World-Herald that he had accepted the defensive backs coaching job with the Nebraska, but did reportedly confirm it to 247Sports over the weekend.

Coachingsearch said they could confirm the hire last week, but other publications began picking up on the hire later in the week as well.

Common sense finally prevails over BCS

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott summed up the thinking after the meeting, telling The New York Times: "So much of the passion of a move to a playoff is to see it earned on the field. What more clear way to have intellectual consistency with the idea of a playoff than to earn it as a conference champion? It would play down the rolls of the highly subjective polls that are based on a coach and media voting and a few computers."
It's a shame it took an all-SEC national championship to move administrators toward the epiphany of a playoff, especially since the championship in question (with Alabama winning over LSU) was one of the few times in recent years when the BCS grand finale clearly featured the two best teams.
After the current BCS contract runs its course, it looks like college football will go to a final-four format, with four conference champions playing semifinal games at one of the participating teams' home stadiums. That will be followed by a national championship game on or about New Years Day to be held at a neutral location.

"I hope we can come up with a system that turns the bowl model on its head and improves it," Scott told the Times.

Gamecock's Clowney ready to unleash awhole lotta hurt in the SEC

Clowney was going to be a playmaker this season no matter who lined up with him in the trenches. The fact that the big-play Ingram has used up his eligibility simply means that No. 7 is going to enjoy an even bigger spotlight in his second season in Columbia, S.C. He is as close to a sure-thing among defensive underclassmen as there is in America, a 6-6, 255-pound terror coming off the edge. Even as a backup in his debut, he still managed to rack up 11 tackles for loss, six sacks and five forced fumbles. Although you don’t get better by losing an All-American, such as Ingram, the Gamecocks might not be any worse. With Devin Taylor on one side and Clowney on the other, South Carolina will still boast one of the nastiest bookends around.

Gators LB Neiron Ball says he’s cleared to play football

After missing all of the 2011 season with a health issues, Florida’s Neiron Ball appears ready to get back to the playing field.

The linebacker was hospitalized in February of last year with a burst blood vessel in his brain and, after spending a couple of days in intensive care, was released. It was initially feared that, because of what is technically called arteriovenous malformation, Ball’s playing career might be over.

Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

In a posting to his Facebook page Friday night, Ball stated that he has been medically cleared to resume his playing career less than two weeks before the gators are set to begin spring practice.

“Got GREAT news today!!! I am CLEARED TO PLAY FOOTBALL AGAIN!” Ball wrote. “This is one of many God’s blessings… I am so thankful and excited. PRAISE GOD!”

The school has yet to confirm Ball’s availability for spring practice and beyond. This year’s spring sessions will commence March 14.

Ball, a four-star member of UF’s 2010 recruiting class, played in 13 games as a true freshman before being sidelines all of last season.

Thanks to Orlando Sentinel

Mizzou fills 2012 scheduling void with Syracuse

In a pair of press releases, Mizzou and Syracuse confirmed that the two schools have reached an agreement for a one-off game this coming season. It will be a home game for Mizzou as the Orange will travel to Columbia to take on the Tigers Nov. 17.

“We are very pleased to get our schedule finalized, and are excited that we could put this kind of schedule together,” said MU senior associate athletic director Mark Alnutt. “This is a schedule that Tiger fans can be excited about, and we’re very fortunate to be able to put such a quality group of opponents together given the challenging timetable we were faced with.”

With the Orange’s addition, Mizzou’s non-conference slate will also include home games against Arizona State and SE Louisiana as well as a road trip to Orlando to face UCF. It’s believed the scheduling of three current or soon-to-be members of BcS conference members will not lead to sanctions for Mizzou by the SEC.

On the ‘Cuse side of the ledger, the addition of Mizzou fills one of two holes on the 2012 schedule that had remained. The Orange had originally been scheduled to face TCU in a conference matchup — the Horned Frogs bolted the Big East for the Big 12 after zero official seasons in the league — in mid-November, but still must fill the hole created by West Virginia’s departure for the same conference.

The addition of Temple to the Big East, if the rumors come to fruition, would be the final piece to the scheduling puzzle for all members of the conference.

Before settling on the game with Mizzou, head coach Doug Marrone stated in the release that the school had spoken to Florida State, Arkansas, Boise State and Nevada about taking over TCU’s spot. A Div. 1-AA (FCS) school was not considered, Marrone added.

Vols DB coach reportedly has offer to join Nebraska

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley has faced significant turnover on his coaching staff this offseason. A month after that turnover was said to be finished, Dooley may have yet another coaching hire to conduct.

Both Coachingsearch.com and The Knoxville News Sentinel are linking Vols DB coach Terry Joseph to the open secondary coach job at Nebraska that has become vacant with the departure of Corey Raymond to LSU. Raymond had previously said he had no interest in returning to his alma mater before bolting earlier this week.

Coachingsearch says they expect Joseph to accept the job, but the News Sentinel only states that Joseph has an offer, and whether or not he will accept is unknown. Joseph, a former assistant at Louisiana Tech, followed Dooley to Knoxville in 2010.

Eariler this month, Tennessee announced Derrick Ansley would be the Vols’ new co-defensive backs coach.