Did UGA hire coach to get No. 1 prospect...Robert Nkemdiche

UGA recently hired Daryl Jones as its Director of On-Campus Recruiting, which is the most critical behind-the-scenes job in the recruiting department.

Jones was an assistant in charge of defensive backs, at Grayson High School for 2009 season, when a talented freshman named “Big Rob” split time between the freshmen team and varsity roster. Soon after, Jones took another job running Under Armour camps before he was hired by UGA.

Nkemdiche and Jones are friends. So now the popular question for Internet message boards – Did UGA hire Nkemdiche’s former coach to get an advantage?

Grayson coach Mickey Conn chuckled when he was asked about it. “I don’t think Georgia hiring Daryl Jones has anything to do with Robert.”

“Robert’s decision is going to be what Robert wants to do.”

Jones is well-connected and well-respected within the Georgia high school ranks after serving as a coach or athletics director in the state for 17 years. He will be making a $110,000 salary at UGA, according to FOI requests.

“Georgia is getting a great guy … a great coach and a great PR guy,” Conn said. “He’s real positive and a high-energy guy. He’s very organized. I think he’s going to do a fantastic job.”

Nkemdiche is considering Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, UGA, Clemson, Texas, Mississippi State and Florida, among others.

No raise in Georgia's Head Coach Richt’s new deal

At a meeting of UGA’s athletic board Thursday, details of the proposed new contract for Richt were presented to the group, with athletic director Greg McGarity confirming the long-time football coach will continue to make in the neighborhood of $2.9 million a year. The new deal will include, however, incentives that are nearly double what he had previously been eligible to earn.

In essence, Richt will likely be eligible for upwards of $800,000 in bonuses in the future. From the Macon Telegraph:

Under Richt’s current deal, the most he can receive for performance bonuses is $350,000. He receives $25,000 for winning the SEC East and $50,000 more for winning the conference title. He also receives $25,000 for making a bowl, and $50,000 more if it is a BCS bowl. He receives $50,000 for finishing in the final top five of the AP or coaches’ poll. And he receives $150,000 for winning the BCS title.

Richt also receives $50,000 for finishing in the top one-third of the SEC in both the APR and Graduation Success Rate.

For a coach who was considered to be sitting squarely on the proverbial hot seat just a year ago, however, the new contract is more about job “security” and less about the guaranteed compensation. Richt’s old deal was scheduled to run through the 2013 season; the new one will run through the 2016 season.

by J. Taylor

Vols TE Clear dismissed following felony arrest

Cameron Clear has seen his time as a Tennessee Volunteer football player come to an abrupt but not unexpected end.

UT head coach Derek Dooley announced late Friday morning that the tight end has been dismissed from the football team, effective immediately.

“It hurts anytime a player is dismissed from the program, but there comes a time when a player’s actions dictate that his privilege of being a part of this team should be removed,” said Dooley in a statement. “We will continue to support Cam and his family to help him learn from his actions and become the person and player I believe he has the potential to be.”

Clear was arrested by campus police Tuesday afternoon and charged with felony theft of more than $1,000 and less than $10,000. He’s alleged to have stolen a MacBook Pro from the dorm room of a Vols baseball player May 19.

The sophomore was arrested after UT police became aware that he had logged onto the university’s network using the stolen laptop, and caught the alleged thief with the MacBook sitting in his lap at an on-campus establishment.

As a true freshman in 2011, Clear started two of the 12 games in which he played. The 6-6, 283-pounder had just one reception for four yards. He was listed as the No. 2 TE on the Vols’ post-spring depth chart and was in line to compete for the starting job entering summer camp.

Coming out of Memphis as a four-star member of UT’s 2011 recruiting class, Clear was the No. 2 player at any position in the state of Tennessee and the No. 18 offensive tackle in the country according to Rivals.com.

by J. Taylor

Stolen MacBook lands Vols TE in felony charge

Tennessee tight end Cameron Clear landing a felony theft charge Tuesday evening. While the specifics of what led to the charge weren’t available at the time, they are now.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Clear’s felony charge stemmed from the theft of a laptop computer. Specifically, a MacBook Pro owned by a member of UT’s baseball team.

The Mac was stolen from pitcher Jeffrey Zajac‘s dorm room on May 19 and… well… here’s how the paper describes campus police ultimately catching up with the bumbling thief:

UT police detected Tuesday someone was using the laptop to log into the university’s wireless network and caught Clear sitting at the keyboard, according to the warrant.

“Upon my arrival, I saw Mr. Clear sitting with a silver MacBook in his lap,” UT police Cpl. Ben Doty wrote. “Once he saw the officers, he closed the laptop.”

The laptop’s serial number matched the stolen MacBook, Doty wrote.

Clear remains in jail Wednesday morning in lieu of a $2,500 bond. Other than “we’re in the process of gathering the facts,” the school has yet to comment on Clear’s situation or his status with the program.

UPDATED 11:51 p.m. ET: Clear has been suspended indefinitely from the football program, a UT official has confirmed.

Grand jury charges man in post-BcS video with sexual assault

Some four months after the video of an Alabama fan putting his “junk” on a passed-out LSU fan following the BcS title game went viral, charges have been filed against said fan.

According to the Associated Press, Brian H. Downing was indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury and formally charged with one count each of sexual battery of a male victim and obscenity.

Bond was set at $50,000.

After an alert was issued for him by the New Orleans Police Department, Downing turned himself in to authorities Jan. 19. He was then arrested on charges of sexual assault and obscenity, and released on a $10,000 bond.

In the hours after the Tide’s title-game win over the Tigers Jan. 9, a man alleged to be Dowling was videotaped placing his genitals on another man at a packed Bourbon St. fast-food restaurant. The video exploded across the vast expanses of the Internet in the ensuing days, with people not connected to the situation clamoring for a police investigation.

In a statement released by the 32-year-old’s attorneys a week after his arrest, the defense team claimed the incident involving the 18-year-old victim was akin to frat-house hazing and said the accusation “demeans the real and serious trauma of actual victims of sexual violence.”

by J. Taylor

AD Jeff Long: ‘I am not interested in leaving Arkansas’

In a statement released through the university, Long, while not mentioning the Cardinal by name, stated unequivocally that he has no interest in leaving for another job.

“Although I do not consider it appropriate to discuss the personnel searches of other universities or colleges, I feel it’s important to address recent speculation about me and the athletics director position at another prestigious institution,” Long’s statement began. “Although I can’t be responsible for what others are saying or thinking, I do know that I am not interested in leaving the University of Arkansas. My interest and commitment continues to be providing leadership to the University of Arkansas and to Razorback athletics at this critical time in our program’s history.”

Stanford has been searching for a new athletic director since Bob Bowlsby agreed to become the new commissioner of the Big 12. West Virginia’s Oliver Luck was also reportedly a candidate for the job at his son’s alma mater, but has since assured officials he’s remaining with the Mountaineers.

by J. Taylor

Four-star QB commits to Auburn over LSU, and others

AuburnSports.com was one of several recruiting websites confirming with Jeremy Johnson himself that the quarterback informed AU of his decision to verbal to the school on an unofficial visit Sunday. The Mobile, Ala, native opted for the Tigers over, among others, SEC rivals LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Johnson, who allowed that LSU and Ole Miss were his other three finalists, said in essence that AU’s homefield advantage played a significant role in his decision.

“It feels great,” Johnson, who is the first verbal for the Tigers at his position in next year’s class, told the Rivals.com AU website. “I prayed about it, talked to my family about it and I feel like it’s the best choice for me. Auburn is right up the road from home.

“I’m excited about going to Auburn. It’s a great feeling. I thank God. He is the one who gave me this ability.”

That ability has led to both 247Sports.com and Scout.com rating Johnson as a four-star prospect, with the former placing him at No. 13 among pro-style QBs and the latter at No. 18 among all of the signal callers, pro-style or dual-threat.

Rivals rates Johnson as a three-star prospect and the No. 18 pro-style QB.

Three more Razorbacks arrested, charged, suspended

According to ArkansasNews.com, three UA football players were arrested Saturday afternoon and charged with residential burglary. The three facing charges are wide receivers Marquel Wade and Maudrecus Humphrey and redshirt freshman tight end Andrew Peterson.

The trio was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on the single charge each earlier today.

There are no details available as to what led to the arrests, nor has the school commented on the development.

Wade, Humphrey and Peterson are the fourth, fifth and sixth UA football players arrested since the middle of March.

Suspended WR gets his release from Arkansas

Following a drug arrest that netted him an indefinite suspension, Arkansas wide receiver Kane Whitehurst has received his release from scholarship.

Whitehurst received his release over the weekend. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia following last month’s incident. The Georgia native did not play last year and used his redshirt status. Whitehurst is the third player released from his scholarship this spring, along with receiver Quinta Funderburk and linebacker Brock Haman. The latter has since transferred to Arizona State, while the former is reportedly looking at Syracuse.

The soon-to-be-sophomore was one of six Razorbacks to be arrested this offseason.

Auburn lineman to Georgia Tech ‘not a done deal’ yet

The father of Pope grad and now former Auburn guard Thomas O’Reilly said Tuesday that a transfer to Georgia Tech is “not a done deal yet. We think it’s an option, but it’s not a done deal at this point.” Shaun O’Reilly said that there has been conversation between his son and Tech since he decided to transfer, but asserted that no decision had been made.

“We’ve talked,” he said. “We know the school very well from when he was recruited as a [high-school prospect]. It’s a great school and it has a ton to offer.”

During his high school recruitment, Tech was the first school to offer O’Reilly, listed in his Auburn bio at 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, and he made multiple visits to the school during his recruitment.

O’Reilly redshirted this past season and, assuming he transfers to another FBS-level school, will have to sit out another year and would have three years of eligibility. A highly-regarded high school prospect, ESPN ranked him the No. 145 player nationally in the class of 2011 and Rivals named him the No. 19 offensive guard.

Shaun O’Reilly said the decision to transfer was based on opportunities to play and the Tigers’ scheme change, as well as academics. Coach Gene Chizik hired Scot Loeffler to replace Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator in January after Malzahn left to become head coach at Arkansas State.

by Ken Sugiura

‘Bama, Auburn finalists for touted ’13 QB recruit

The Tide and Tigers, along with SEC rivals LSU and Florida as well as Washington, are the finalists for the services of Salt Lake City quarterback and Class of 2013 prospect Cooper Bateman.

Bateman has already visited UA and AU, and has another trip to Tuscaloosa scheduled for early June. Shortly after that visit, Bateman hopes to have a decision, although he did tell 247Sports.com that there is no front-runner in his mind right now.

“I want to decide pretty soon if possible,” Bateman said. “There is no clear school on top for me right now, but I’m looking at those five programs. I’m weighing the pros and cons of each school and evaluating the football aspect and comfort level of each program. …

“Coach (Scot) Loeffler at Auburn is great, Nuss (Doug Nussmeier, Alabama’s offensive coordinator) is someone I like a lot too.”

Neither of the Alabama schools has received a verbal commitment from a player at that position in the 2013 class — neither have the other three finalists, incidentally — so landing the non-binding verbal from Bateman would be considered a significant get for either school.

Bateman is rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the No. 6 pro-style QB in the country by the same service. 247Sports has Bateman as the No. 4 pro-style QB in the country, while Scout.com has him as the No. 4 QB of any kind.

LSU fan suing Alabama man for post-BCS video

The Associated Press reports that the LSU fan seen passed out in the viral video has decided to sue Brian Downing for allegedly committing sexual battery. The incident took place at a Krystal restaurant on Bourbon Street.

The video, about five minutes long, features several fans hazing, poking and taking pictures of the unconscious man. Then, one individual , exposes himself and places his genitals on the unconscious fan before a restaurant employee steps in to disperse the crowd.

Downing later turned himself into authorities and was booked on charges of sexual battery and obscenity. The New Orleans district attorney has until June 20 to decide whether to prosecute Downing.

Florida LB to transfer to UConn

Desmond Conner of the Hartford Courant, stated that Graham Stewart said he would be transferring to UConn. Stewart, as is mentioned below, is from Connecticut.

Being closer to his family is the major reason behind the move. Stewart hopes to receive a hardship waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play right away, but wanting to be closer to family, barring a health issue, probably won’t be enough by itself for the waiver to be granted.

Stewart played in 12 games this past season, mostly on special teams. He did, however, block a punt against Ohio State in the Gator Bowl this past January.

LSU Football: Breaking Down the No. 2 Ranking in ESPN Preseason Poll

The LSU Tigers have wrapped up spring practice and have already begun preparing for the regular season with hopes of returning to the national championship.

Before the season actually begins, polls are released that rank the top 25 teams currently in college football. Before the official polls are released, ESPN has decided to put out a preseason top-25 poll that ranks the top 25 teams in their opinion.

The defending national champions are No. 3 in the poll, USC takes the No. 1 spot overall and the LSU Tigers are right in the middle at No. 2.

I'm a believer in the champion beginning the season No. 1, so LSU above Alabama to start the season is something I don't agree with. But there are only a couple of teams that would likely be able to knock off Alabama from their throne and the Tigers are one of them.

This team may be more talented than last year's team was, especially if they can develop a passing game. Don't be surprised if the Tigers return to the national championship this year and take care of some unfinished business.

by R. Chambers, bleacher report

Coach Derek Dooley ‘fixing’ UT staff

It's too soon to know if the seven new assistant coaches on Derek Dooley's staff at Tennessee are upgrades over their predecessors.

From the perspective of the Volunteers' third-year coach, though, the new faces offer a fresh start of sorts.

“Is it normal to have seven coaches transition in a year? No, it's very rare for something like that to happen,” Dooley said during his interview with the Times Free Press last week. “But I kind of view it as sort of a correction. When you start a company, when you start anything, you always have that little initial correction to kind of fix all the things maybe you didn't get right in the beginning.

“I think it was a good correction for me, and I think it's going to be for the team.”

Though from a professional standpoint he didn't have much time to sulk, Dooley had to find it tough seeing seven coaches he hired to join him at UT in 2010 leave after just two seasons. For example, Terry Joseph, the last of the departing group, had been a Dooley assistant for the last five years. All of the coaches that left made lateral moves, though not all for the same reasons.

“I think some left because the fit wasn't right,” Dooley said. “I think some left because they maybe allowed the fear … the fear made the wolf a little bigger than it was. I think some left just because professionally they thought it would be a good growth situation.

“Each coach was unique in why they left, and it's part of the profession.”

It's also part of the profession as the head coach to hire the best candidates for the coaching vacancies. After making the comment that his coaching staff needed to have better trust with each other, Dooley said some familiarity was part of his search process. It's the made the transition seamless, he said, even amid so much turnover.

“I think it was important for me at the defensive-coordinator level,” Dooley said. “I thought that position, more than any, having to teach somebody everything about me, what I believe, philosophy, how we run things organizationally — I just felt like the learning curve [was too much].

“I wanted to get somebody who had the same philosophy as I've had, they've been in the same system, they believe in the same things that I believe [and] I didn't have to sell what I was doing to them. Sal Sunseri fit that mold. I think because of that, that's permeate throughout the staff.”

Each coach on UT's entirely new defensive staff has a connection to Sunseri, the Vols' new coordinator.
by P Brown

Ex-Tide QB officially moving on to Virginia

n a press release, Virginia officially confirmed that the former Chesapeake, Va., high school quarterback has decided to transfer from the Cavaliers. In the immediate aftermath of his decision to leave the Tide, it was widely speculated that UVa would ultimately be the place he would land to continue his collegiate career.

“Virginia football welcomes Phillip Sims to our family,” said Virginia head coach Mike London. “Hopefully he will have a productive career her at UVa as his previous accolades have shown.”

The school did not address whether or not Sims would seek a hardship waiver that would allow him to play immediately, although his Oscar Smith High School coach did the player no favors on that front.

Sims came to Tuscaloosa as a much-hyped four-star member of the Tide’s 2010 recruiting class, rated as the No. 2 pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com. After redshirting as a true freshman, Sims and A.J. McCarron waged a battle for the starting job that commenced in spring practice last year and technically continued into the very early portion of the 2011 regular season.

With McCarron firmly entrenched as the Tide’s starter for the next two seasons after leading UA to the school’s second BcS title in three years last year, Sims opted to take his leave of the program for what he described in a statement as “a personal matter.”

Arkansas-LSU playing Friday after Turkey Day again

For the 15th time in 17 years, and for the second year in a row, Arkansas and LSU will play the Friday after Thanksgiving, the two schools announced Wednesday. CBS will broadcast the game at 1:30 p.m. and will take place at Razorback Stadium. The announcement had been rumored for a while. It’ll be only the second time that the game will be played in Fayetteville, the only other time being in 1992 when the Razorbacks beat the Tigers, 30-6 (Arkansas’ first year in the SEC).

LSU won last year’s matchup 41-17 in Baton Rouge. Both teams enter 2012 with SEC West division and BCS championship expectations.