USC recruit arrested on alcohol charge

Incoming South Carolina defensive back Victor Hampton was arrested after taking alcohol to Darlington High on Friday, two days after signing with the Gamecocks.
An official at the Darlington County jail said Hampton was booked shortly after noon for underage drinking. The 17-year-old Hampton was released Friday evening after posting a $1,500 surety bond.
A Darlington police spokesperson said an incident report would not be available until Monday. Attempts to reach the school's resource officer were unsuccessful.
Hampton, who is rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, has at least one prior arrest. He was charged with disorderly conduct in Charlotte on July 3, 2008, but said the charge was later dropped.
Hampton's mother, Connie Boykin, said Hampton was arrested for directing an obscenity at an officer in a Charlotte mall.
Hampton apologized Friday night in a statement released by Cheveron Scott, the Darlington attorney and former Florence judge with whom Hampton lives. Hampton said "poor judgment" caused him to bring alcohol on the school grounds.
"I deeply regret putting myself in this situation and the ultimate responsibility is mine and mine alone," Hampton said. "I know that I have let so many people down who believed in me, from my family to friends to Darlington High School to USC. ... I realize that I can never allow anything like this to happen again."
Scott said he expected the misdemeanor charge to be resolved soon but declined further comment.
USC media relations director Steve Fink said Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier was out of town Friday and could not be reached.

click here to Shop for NCAA football gifts for sports fans

UT hires Chuck Smith to coach defensive line

Tennessee’s football program and head coach Derek Dooley called on an old friend to complete their coaching staff.
Former Vol standout Chuck Smith was hired Friday to coach UT’s defensive line.
That’s not the only tie; Smith and Dooley played together at Clarke Central High School in the 1980s.
“I want to thank Mike Hamilton and President Jan Simek for running UT like a first-class organization and bringing Derek in,” said Smith in a release from the UT men’s athletic department. “I know exactly the kind of character Derek has and exactly the kind of football coach he is.”
Smith, 40, spent last season with the New York Jets as a pass rush specialist. Jets head coach Rex Ryan first hired Smith for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 when Ryan was defensive coordinator.
Before entering the NFL, Smith built his coaching reputation as a defensive line specialist, working with defensive linemen for his company, Defensive Line Inc. Smith has worked with approximately 60 NFL players during the last five seasons.
Among his star pupils are three former Vols: Albert Haynesworth, who this past season signed a $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins; Robert Ayers, a 2009 NFL first-round pick of the Denver Broncos; and Shaun Ellis, a Pro-Bowler with the New York Jets.
Smith has also worked with Baltimore Raven’s linebacker Ray Lewis, Oakland Raider’s defensive tackle Richard Seymour and New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
In the 2009 NFL Draft, seven linemen selected in the first five rounds trained under Smith, including Ayers.

Click here for Tickets to All Sporting Events

Auburn: Aairon Savage will return for sixth year and play in 2010

Aairon Savage has been granted a sixth year of eligibility and will return in 2010, Auburn announced Thursday.
"We're very happy for Aairon that he has received a sixth year of eligibility," Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said in a statement. "The last few years have been difficult for him, but Aairon has worked extremely hard and shown a tremendous amount of determination to get to where he is today. We look forward to seeing him in an Auburn uniform this fall."
Savage hasn't played since 2007. He missed the 2008 season with a torn ACL and suffered an Achille's injury before the start of the 2009 season.
The Albany, Ga., native received a degree in December of 2008 and is currently pursuing graduate studies.

Click here where SEC Football fans Shop Tinderbox.com for Cigar Accessories

Gators' coordinator search still on

Already mentioned as possibilities to replace George Edwards, who left the program yesterday after less than a month on the job, have been Ole Miss coordinator Tyrone Nix and a pair of in-house candidates -- defensive backs coach Chuck Heater and defensive line coach Dan McCarney.
During the first coordinator search, Nix was reportedly considered extensively before ultimately returning to the Rebels.
According to Tom Dienhart's Twitter page, the Gators could target Kentucky DC Steve Brown and North Carolina DC Everett Withers.
Withers had drawn some degree of attention from Tennessee and Georgia during their extended searches for coordinators, so it would make sense that yet another SEC school would at least sniff around Butch Davis' assistant.
Another possibility, per GatorCountry.com, is Utah DC Kalani Sitake. His name being attached to the vacancy would make sense as well given Urban Meyer's ties to and familiarity with the Utes.

Tee's off to Kentucky to coach receivers

A source close to New Mexico quarterbacks coach Tee Martin told the Daily Lobo late Wednesday night that Martin will accept the wide receivers coach opening at Kentucky.
The deal is reportedly worth about $40,000 more than Martin makes here, which puts his salary in the ballpark of $150,000. Martin makes roughly $110,000 at the University.
There was intense speculation by some Web sites that Martin’s departure to join new coach Joker Phillips’ staff was imminent.In the end, Martin’s connections within the program helped land him the job, the source said.
Martin has a working relationship with Kentucky offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders. The two crossed paths at Tennessee, where Sanders was a longtime coach, and Martin a player from 1996-99.
In 1999, Sanders was promoted to be the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Coincidentally, his first game as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator coincided with the Volunteers playing in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, in which Martin led Tennessee to a 23-16 victory, helping the Volunteers secure the national championship.

Gators hunting for new DC yet again

Well, that was quick.
Less than a month after taking Florida’s defensive coordinator position, George Edwards is leaving to take the same position with the Buffalo Bills.
Edwards was officially hired by Urban Meyer on Jan. 8 and now leaves the day after the Gators signed one of the best defensive recruiting classes in history. Edwards came to UF from the Miami Dolphins, where he was linebackers coach. He briefly replaced Charlie Strong, who took the Louisville job in December.
UF spokesman Steve McClain said interim coach Steve Addazio will “coordinate” the hiring of a new defensive coordinator while Meyer takes his leave of absence.
Edwards, one of four Gators coaches hired in the offseason, will rejoin Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey, who led the Dallas Cowboys in the late 90s while Edwards was Dallas’ linebackers coach.
Internal candidates include defensive backs coach Chuck Heater and defensive line coach Dan McCarney, former Iowa State head coach.
At his National Signing Day press conference, Meyer did not include Edwards’ name when glowing about various assistant coaches helping sign the country’s consensus best class. Edwards had hinted at Buffalo’s interest in him this week but surprised many inside the program by taking the job.
“I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to come in and have a chance to work with coach Gailey again and the staff that he has been able to put together,” said Edwards, according to Buffalobills.com. “I am excited to have the opportunity to come to Buffalo and look forward to getting started as quickly as possible. This is a team that has played good defense in the past and I am excited to continue on with that tradition.”
Edwards’ similar tone when hired by the Gators on Jan. 8: “I’m thrilled to be joining the UF coaching staff. I enjoy teaching and molding young men. I am looking forward to working with a great group of people at Florida and a great group of players.”
Edwards becomes the fifth Gators coach to leave the program since December, joining wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, Strong, running backs coach Kenny Carter and cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford.

Wilcox triples pay in move to Vols

Wilcox was named the defensive coordinator at Tennessee on Wednesday. He spent four years as the defensive coordinator at Boise State.
“Yeah, the pressures are extraordinary and all that,” he said from Knoxville, Tenn., “but you don’t want to live your life saying coulda, shoulda, woulda. I’m excited about the place. I think you can recruit here. Obviously it is a tough conference. Sometimes you’ve got to push yourself a little bit and you’ve got to jump out of your comfort zone and that’s what I did.”
Wilcox, who came to Boise State with no coordinator experience, said he liked the idea of a new challenge.
“My learning curve at Boise for the first three years was vertical and then it starts to kind of flatten out a little bit and you’re still learning but it’s a different pace,” he said. “This will definitely push my learning curve again. … Boise is an unbelievable place. I love it there and will always love Boise State. I felt like this was something — I wanted to try it and go for it.”
Wilcox said he doesn’t expect his departure to affect the Broncos, who hired defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski to replace him. Kwiatkowski helped Wilcox learn the ropes as a coordinator in 2006.
“The only guy they cannot lose is (coach Chris Petersen),” Wilcox said. “Boise State is going to win. The players and the assistant coaches and all that can change.”
Wilcox told the Broncos players about his decision Tuesday morning after their conditioning session. He choked up quickly.
“You kind of put your heart and soul into something like that and to move on — that’s a difficult, difficult thing,” he said.
Wilcox is expected to receive a three-year contract worth about $650,000 per year. He was making $215,000 at Boise State.

Bright spot in otherwise dreary Georgia day

UGA is still expected to have a class should fall somewhere in or around the Top ten, and part of the reason for that is Michael Thornton.
Because of the fact that the defensive tackle had been tight-lipped about his decision, speculation had been flying regarding where he would ultimately land. As it turns out, there was never really any doubt in Thornton's mind where he would end up sending his fax.
""I wanted to wait until today ,to announce, so all my friends and family could be around me when I made my decision," Thornton said according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"It was tough, keeping it a secret. Everybody was putting out rumors and speculation. Georgia, is a great thing for me and my family."
A big reason for Thornton's decision was the depth chart at UGA, which Thornton says will allow him to "come in and play right away."

DT keeps 'Bama lineage going

Tyler Love was a member of Nick Saban's recruiting class at Alabama, and he will have a national championship ring to prove it.
After this morning, the offensive lineman will have a familiar face roaming around the Tide's locker room in the very near future.
Love's brother Wilson, an in-state offensive lineman, signed his letter of intent this morning and will be joining his brother in Tuscaloosa for at least the next couple of years.
"I'm just really excited," Love told the Tuscaloosa News. "Tyler sent me a nice text. I've been getting a lot of texts this morning of people congratulating me. It's just a really exciting feeling. It's a warming feeling ... it's a good feeling."
Wilson Love, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, has been verbally committed to 'Bama since April of last year.

Four-star DT snubs 'Bama, Vols for... Lobos?

Four-star defensive tackle Calvin Smith announced that he was signing a letter of intent to attend New Mexico. And he did it live, on national television.
Smith, who hails from Hialeah, Fla., had been chased by heavyweights such as Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina before opting for the Lobos. Apparently, his father's relationship with New Mexico head coach Mike Locksley played a big role in Smith's decision.

Favre kin part of 26-man strong Miss. St. class

Mississippi State has put the wraps on it's 2010 recruiting class, and a member of the Favre clan is officially back in the collegiate game.
Quarterback Dylan Favre, nephew of a certain future Hall of Fame quarterback, is one of 26 commitments to head coach Dan Mullen's second class at MSU.
The class also includes six of the top 12 players in the state of Mississippi as rated by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Of Rivals.com's top ten players in the state, five are a part of this class.
"We wanted to put together a class of champions that will take pride in representing the entire state of Mississippi," Mullen said in a statement released by the school. "I'm proud of the work our staff has done in bringing in the best from around the state and adding great talent to our team from both inside and outside of Mississippi."
As for Favre, the 5-11, 190-pounder had also received interest from Southern Miss, his uncle's school, Wisconsin and Oklahoma State after throwing for 5,589 yards and 63 touchdowns. Those totals, by the way, are for the 2009 season alone. The SEC Rocks!

Vols' name Wilcox as Dooley's coordinator

Tennessee has officially announced the hiring of Justin Wilcox as their new defensive coordinator.
Wilcox's name first emerged as a viable candidate yesterday after head coach Derek Dooley's search for a coordinator had met several dead ends since his arrival in Knoxville.
While he may not have been on the radar early on in the process, Wilcox said this opportunity "was too good to pass up".
"It's an unbelievable opportunity," Wilcox said in a statement. "I'm really humbled to be considered and for Coach Dooley to offer me the job. Boise State is an incredible place and I really wasn't looking to leave there. All this happened pretty fast.
"But after talking with Coach Dooley and a couple of the other coaches, and getting a feel for the way he wants to model the program and a lot of the philosophies he has, I just felt like it was a great opportunity at an unbelievable place in terms of the tradition. I think it's just one of those things that was too good to pass up and I'm excited to be here."
With Wilcox's departure from Boise State, defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski is expected to take over the Broncos' defense.

Lattimore commits to South Carolina

Byrnes running back Marcus Lattimore stood front and center in his Spartanburg church Tuesday evening and made a much-anticipated announcement: He's going to play football for South Carolina.
Rated the nation's top running back prospect by the two biggest recruiting sites, he announced his choice during a program at Silver Hill United Methodist Church, a day before National Signing Day.
Lattimore kept fans in suspense until the last minute.
He invited former Auburn tailback and Columbia resident Stephen Davis to the front of the church. Davis, who also grew up in Spartanburg, gave Lattimore an Auburn hat, prompting some shouts of "Auburn" from some in the crowd of of 300 or so. But then Lattimore pulled a Gamecock hat out from under the Auburn cap and put the garnet hat on.
Lattimore said that USC was the best fit for him.
"That's here my heart is," Lattimore said. "And (Steve Spurrier) did the Cha-Cha Slide with my mama."
Lattimore said Davis advised him to "go with my heart." Lattimore said he would wear his same high school jersey, number 21, for the Gamecocks, and believes he could have a chance to play immediately if he works hard.
Lattimore said he finalized his decision Saturday after Spurrier's in-home visit, during which Spurrier danced with Lattimore's mother Yolanda Smith.
Lattimore said he was relieved to have the decision behind him.
"I feel like I just lost 50 pounds."

Tennessee to hire Boise State's Wilcox

Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox has been a hot commodity this off season.The fourth-year assistant coach is expected to leave the Broncos in the coming days for the University of Tennessee to become their defensive coordinator.Multiple sources within the Boise State athletic department say it's "a done deal." Reached for comment by telephone, Wilcox referred any questions to the Boise State Sports Information department. Officials there said there was nothing to confirm. However, SEC Football Online has learned Wilcox heard last night from Tennessee, and made the announcement to the team Tuesday morning.Tennesee has been looking for a new defensive coordinator since former Louisiana Tech head coach Derek Dooley took over the program.Last Month Wilcox was a finalist for the defensive coordinator position at Texas A&M but reportedly turned it down to stay in Boise.

Miles not on 'hot seat,' says Bertman

Skip Bertman was asked before speaking at the Louisiana State University at Alexandria athletics banquet Monday night if it was fair to say that LSU football coach Les Miles is on the "hot seat" for the 2010 season.
"No," said Bertman, the Tigers' former baseball coaching legend and former athletics director. "Criticism? Absolutely, positively, because he's making a lot of money. But hot seat? No."
Before speaking to the LSUA baseball and softball teams, other school officials and fans, Bertman tried to put in perspective the most recent decade of extraordinary success in LSU football compared to, say, the 11 previous years when LSU's record was 58-65.
"Then came (Nick) Saban, and then came Miles," he said. "These are the best 10 years we have ever had -- five years with Saban and five with Miles. When you win two national championships and you're winning 10, 11, 12 or 13 games a season, the fans expect that annually.
"And the problem with the (Southeastern Conference) today is that it's better than it was 10 years ago. Not to take anything away from Saban, but when Nick did it, it was easier to do than when Les did it. All the schools in the league have expectations that are so high so that you've got schools paying coaches $3 and $4 million, and they all have better facilities."
Miles's salary is $3.95 million, and he has drawn criticism from fans, media and former LSU players over the last two seasons, when the Tigers went 8-8 in the SEC. Much of the criticism has been for time management problems and persistent offensive penalties.

Bama loses out on blue-chip recruit

While Alabama is still likely to have a Top Five recruiting class this year, it will have a little less luster thanks to a somewhat surprising decision by its highest-rated recruit, the Mobile Press-Register is reporting.
Keenan Allen, the No. 5 player in the nation according to Rivals.com, will tell head coach Nick Saban Tuesday that Alabama is no longer under consideration.
Instead, the paper reports, Allen will now choose between Cal and -- this is somewhat of a shocker -- Penn State. It was thought that, if Allen did not sign with the Tide, he would opt for either Cal or Clemson, so the Nittany Lions' sudden emergence was not on most people's radar.
Allen was a virtual lock for the Tide until his half-brother, Zach Maynard, decided to transfer from Buffalo.
It was at that time the whispers began, that Allen wanted to attend school with Maynard and Alabama might lose the wide receiver/defensive back.

UA trustees set to approve Kirby Smart's raise and Jeremy Pruitt's contract

The Compensation Committee of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees is set to approve amended or new employee contracts Tuesday for two Crimson Tide head coaches and two football assistant coaches.

Trustees will review recent contract changes by teleconference for Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who received a raise for turning down a lucrative job offer last month from his alma mater, Georgia. UA has declined to release financial details of Smart's new contract pending approval by trustees.

The Bulldogs were offering about three-quarters of a million dollars for Smart to become their next defensive coordinator, and wound up hiring Todd Grantham from the Dallas Cowboys after Smart declined.

Trustees are also set to approve contracts for recently promoted support staff member Jeremy Pruitt, now a full-time defensive assistant coach for the Crimson Tide, women's basketball coach Wendell Hudson and first-year head baseball coach Mitch Gaspard.

All contracts are expected to be approved by trustee members.

It’s official: Dave Rader named to Ole Miss football staff

Dave Rader will be the Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, according to a release from the school this afternoon. Mike Markuson has been promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He was previously in charge of the offensive line and the running game.

Rader, who spent several years as head coach at Tulsa, has been out of football for three years while working in private business in Tulsa, Okla. He was also the offensive coordinator under Alabama’s Mike Shula, but was let go after Shula was fired.