NCAA to pay second visit to Gamecocks

The latest update on various NCAA probes concerns South Carolina and their tight end, Weslye Saunders.

Saunders was interviewed by NCAA investigators last month and, according to The State's Joseph Person, is preparing for another sit-down. Person reports that investigators will be in Columbia again this week, and are expected to question the senior for a second time.

The investigation into Saunders is one of the many extensions of the NCAA's probe into the North Carolina football program, and concerns the various relationships players may or may not have had with agents and/or their associates.

In a statement, USC athletic director Eric Hyman, as he has in the past, said the school would continue to work in tandem with the NCAA. "Upon any request from the NCAA, we will continue to cooperate and assist in any way we can."

Kentucky Wildcats Go Full Pads in Steamy Lexington Heat

Facing tremendous heat for most of the afternoon, the University of Kentucky football team, clad in full pads, held its first joint practice session of fall camp at the Nutter Training Facility practice fields Tuesday.
"Every coach would say, ‘In my day, we had practice in 2,000 degree weather and we had to walk 100 miles to practice and we didn’t have shoes," head coach Joker Phillips said to a laughing media contingent. "It was a hot one, but we had no complaining. The guys practiced hard and there was a lot of enthusiasm."
The practice was one of many firsts for Kentucky, as the Wildcats held their first joint practice after four days of split-squad workouts and went with full pads on for the first time this fall. With all the changes coming together in one day, Phillips said that the players had to practice smarter in order to make sure that no one got hurt.
"As we practice faster, we have guys that tend to lose their feet and not run through tackles and we are not trying to do that now," Phillips said. "We are trying to practice smarter and staying off the ground to try to get nobody hurt."
Phillips was especially pleased Tuesday with the practice intensity of senior wide receiver Chris Matthews. Matthews had a good season as a junior-college transfer last year. He was the team’s No. 2 receiver, making 32 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns.
"He does all that he is supposed to do in the blocking area, his routes had intensity in them and he attacks the football," Phillips said.

Gators CB Brown returns after 2 year recovery

There were times when Florida Gators cornerback Jeremy Brown couldn't bend his neck to wash his face. This was the player Florida coach Urban Meyer once said had the talent to be just as good or better than current Gators' starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins. For the better part of the past two years, Brown has endured the pain of two herniated disks in his back. "F4 and F5,'' he calls them. Finally, after months and months of pain and fear and doubt and grueling rehabilitation, Brown has returned to the practice field. It has been a long and gradual recovery, but Wednesday marks a monumental day of that process perhaps more important than any other. Wednesday is the Gators' first day of fall camp in full pads. It's the day when players begin slamming into each other at full speed and holding nothing back. It's the day when players begin earning starting positions. Brown, a redshirt sophomore, injured his back on this day two years ago. He says it just "gave out.''
"I'd be lying if I said mentally I'm just ready,'' Brown said. "There are certain things I second-guess, like should I really just, throw myself in there? In the back of my head I'm just thinking, "Man, this might be my back again.' ''

Arkansas' Childs named to Biletnikoff Award watch list

University of Arkansas junior wide receiver Greg Childs was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List on Tuesday. The award is presented annually by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club to the top receiver in college football. Childs, who was one of 51 student-athletes nationwide named to the watch list, led the country last season with 402 yards against top 25 opponents and he led the SEC with 13 receptions of 25-or-more yards and 16 receptions in the fourth quarter. He has 66 receptions for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns in his career. In 2009, he played in all 13 games with eight starts and led the team with 48 catches, 894 yards, seven touchdowns, 68.8 yards per game and three 100-yard games. He led all receivers in SEC play only with six receiving touchdowns, 737 yards, 92.1 yards per game and 23.0 yards per catch.

Ole Miss' Randall Mackey overshadowed but not forgotten for QB

Lost in all the excitement surrounding Masoli, who transferred from Oregon last week amid national hoopla, is the arrival of Mackey, who was a junior college All-American at East Mississippi Community College last season. Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, though, hasn't forgotten about Mackey at all. Mackey, Masoli and sophomore Nathan Stanley are in a three-way battle for the starting quarterback job as the season opener against Jacksonville State approaches on Sept. 4. "I'm so glad Randall Mackey's here," Nutt said. "He can really throw the football and has a really quick release - one of the quickest I've seen in a long time."

LSU's Russell Shepard ready to be a major playmaker

He will be on the football field for LSU in 2010. That was not the case through most of his true freshman season in 2009 as he usually made only cameo appearances and did not touch the ball in two of the Tigers' biggest games, losses to No. 1 Florida and to Penn State in the Capital One Bowl. Still, he led LSU in yards per carry with 6.2 and was the team's No. 3 rusher with 277 yards on 45 carries as a quarterback, tailback and receiver. He also led LSU in yards per catch with 16.4, but he had only five receptions for 34 yards. That was then, and this is now, a full-time slot receiver with just bit parts expected at quarterback and tailback ."Now that he is in the receiving corps, it allows him to be on the field routinely," LSU coach Les Miles said. "He still goes through a throwing regiment, still has the ability to learn to throw. But now he will be on the field the entire time. I think it's better than what we had. Frankly, had we used a different approach to him right away, it may well have gotten him to the field quicker. That was really the mistake, giving him a lot of time at quarterback last year. We should well have put him at receiver first."

UGA Bulldog's quarterback Aaron Murray impresses in debut scrimmage

It was Aaron Murray’s first real action as Georgia’s starting quarterback inside Sanford Stadium.

Murray, a redshirt freshman, threw two touchdowns to Green, highlighting his first preseason scrimmage. “I felt more comfortable in the pocket today,” said Murray, who, according to the team, was 12-of-21 for 237 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. “That’s been my biggest thing, just relaxing and trusting the offensive line, so that’s what I did today. Trust them a lot today, and when there was pressure, just let those guys make the necessary blocks.” Murray admitted that much of his strategy simply was getting the ball to Green. Both touchdowns were more than 60 yards, one a route on which Green took the rest of the way, another when Green beat the coverage downfield. “It’s pretty nice, the plays he makes,” Murray said. “It definitely makes things easier.” Green returned the praise, saying he liked Murray’s presence on the field. “He was very confident, real poised,” Green said. “He went through his reads pretty good. The balls he threw to me were just really good.” The interception was by freshman safety Alec Ogletree in a red-zone situation. The decision to throw the pass fell under what coach Mark Richt called the “foolish” category. “Other than that play, he made a lot of very good decisions and good throws,” Richt said. “Definitely, he has a very good command in the huddle and of the system. He does a good job of getting us in the right plays. We’ve given him a lot of leeway in that regard.”

Alabama makes another Sports Illustrated cover as the mag's preseason No. 1 pick

Another national voice has joined the chorus proclaiming Alabama as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. In the latest in a continuing series, Sports Illustrated has put No. 1 Alabama on its cover on the Southeast edition of its college football preview, which will be on newsstands Wednesday. The crimson cover boys this time are linebacker Dont'a Hightower, safety Mark Barron and defensive end Marcell Dareus. Which is interesting because the SI email quotes Saban as saying: "We lost a lot of good players on defense, but our offense should be more explosive this year."

Gamecock's Jeffery Named to Biletnikoff Watch List

University of South Carolina wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is one of 51 players named to the preseason watch list for the 2010 Biletnikoff Award, it was announced today.The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc., the creator and sponsor of the Biletnikoff Award, presents its trophy annual to the nation's outstanding college football receiver. Jeffery, a 6-4, 233-pound sophomore, looks to build upon an outstanding rookie campaign in which he earned consensus Freshman All-America honors. He is a preseason second-team All-SEC pick by the league's 12 coaches and is a preseason third-team All-SEC selection by Phil Steele and Athlon Sports. Jeffery played in all 13 games during the 2009 season, starting the final seven. He led the squad with 46 catches for 763 yards, an average of 16.6 yards per catch. He was second on the team with six touchdowns. He averaged 58.7 yards and 3.54 catches per game, the eighth and 10th best marks respectively in the SEC, and was the only freshman in the top 10 in either category. In addition, he logged three 100-yard receiving games.

Florida Gators WR Chris Rainey: 'We got rid of the prima donnas'

"I guess we got rid of the prima donnas -- all the selfish cats,'' said Rainey, who has moved from running back to receiver for his final season in Gainesville. "That's probably it right there. Guys who were worried about themselves or worried about trying to get to the NFL.'' UF coach Urban Meyer laughed off Rainey's pointed words, just Rainey being Rainey." I can name some other things he said to the media that were absolutely inappropriate, and that goes in the same category, believe it or not,'' Meyer deadpanned. "So, take that for nothing. Inappropriate, wrong, non-thought out, which he does quite often. I love Chris Rainey, but when I ask him a question, I give him a whole day to think about it and write it down 100 times.'' Rainey's choice words stem from the Gators' loss to Alabama in the 2009 Southeastern Conference championship game. Days before the game, star defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested for driving drunk. After a frustrating week of practice, the defense played lethargically against Alabama's potent rushing attack and gave up 490 yards of total offense.

"I can't stop thinking about it,'' Rainey said. "I think about it every day. We got embarrassed. We looked like a high school team out there, and every time they show the video, it's like, `Dang, was that us for real?' ''

Miss State Bulldogs Begin Two-A-Day Work

After beginning the fall practice with the customary five-day, NCAA mandated acclimation period, head coach Dan Mullen put his team through its first two-a-day on Monday.
The Bulldogs began the day with an early morning workout down on the farm, working in full pads and focusing mainly on first down situations. The head coach declared the defense victorious during the first session of the day.
"We have a real heavy emphasis on the run game in the morning with first down and play action work," Mullen said. "I'd give the defense the edge in this morning's practice."
The second session of the day saw the Bulldogs in half pads, shoulder pads and helmets only, and a focus more on the passing game. Each side provided some big plays throughout the workout, and the head coach seemed pleased with the effort from all involved as the pace of practice was noticeably accelerated compared to last week.
State returns to a one-practice schedule on Tuesday, with a morning workout and meetings in the afternoon. The next scheduled two-a-day is on Wednesday.

Commodores start strong, struggle late in stifling heat

After watching his Commodores struggle with mental miscues and missed assignments in late segments of a stifling practice Monday, Vanderbilt Head Coach Robbie Caldwell said his squad needed to do a better job of keeping its focus as they head to their first workout in full gear.

Working in front of several hundred fans, the Commodores practiced more than two hours in the humid conditions. By the time the offense and defense faced off in 11-on-11 drills late in the session, the oppressive weather combined with on-field mistakes led to frustration from members of both units.

"We didn't handle the heat real well today, but we'll learn from it and come back and do a better job the next time out," Caldwell said. 

When the team returns to the John Rich Practice Facility Tuesday, they will be practicing for the first time in full pads. The Monday workout was staged in shoulder pads and did not feature full contact.

"We'll do a little bit of real football for sure, I just don't know how much," Caldwell said. "It's awfully hard on guys playing positions where we're a little thin. We just have to be real smart with how we go about practice."


Former Tide DB Rod Woodson transfers to North Alabama

UNA coach Terry Bowden spoke about the news Monday at his team's Media Day in Florence. "We're very pleased that Rod Woodson has chosen to come to UNA," Bowden said, according to this report in the TimesDaily. "He was a four-star recruit out of high school and played as a freshman at Alabama, so that says a lot about his ability. "Rod comes highly recommended from the Alabama defensive coaches. He wanted to play right away and should provide instant help to our secondary. The great thing about him is that he has three years of eligibility remaining." Saban said last week that he and Woodson decided mutually that it would be best for the player to continue his college football career elsewhere. He saw limited action as a freshman last season, primarily on special teams.

LSU Les Miles on his cornerbacks for the 2010 season, remember what he said last season

"In my opinion, arguably it will be the finest corner tandem in the conference," Miles said at the SEC Media Days last month. He should be at least half right as junior cornerback Patrick Peterson is a returning as a first-team All-SEC performer last season by ESPN and a second-team All-American by The Sporting News as well as a first-team preseason All-SEC choice. Peterson also may be a high first-round pick in the NFL Draft if he leaves LSU a year early. The other cornerback, meanwhile, has never started a game and played only sparingly in seven games a season ago behind starting cornerback Chris Hawkins, who was a senior in 2009. He is Morris Claiborne, a sophomore from Fair Park High School, but he is apparently talented beyond his snaps."He had a great spring," Miles said. "And he's very athletic and enjoys the fact that Patrick Peterson is right beside him. That's a great learning tool. And he's got ball skills and reaction, and he's just very capable as well."

P.S. Miles last year's quote; The best one he'd ever had at LSU. That did not exactly work out as the Tigers' line was at its worst since the late 1990s, finishing last in the Southeastern Conference and 105th in the nation out of 120 upper division schools with 37 sacks allowed and 11th in the SEC and 90th nationally in rushing offense with 122.7 yards a game.

Big Ladarious Phillips looks to make a big impact at Auburn

Mario Fannin knows a thing or two about being a running back, so it might be best to hear him out when discussing one of the most intriguing new players in Auburn's fall football camp. Fannin says freshman Ladarious Phillips, who looks like a lineman at 290 pounds but played fullback the first week of fall drills, may indeed be his running mate on occasion this season. Fannin, the starting tailback, smiles at the prospect.
"He's going to shock a lot of people because he's so big, but he's so athletic,'' Fannin said. "He's a guy who can get out of the backfield and catch it. He'll catch it one-handed. I've seen it.''
Running backs coach Curtis Luper says Phillips can stand flat-footed and do a back flip. He can also dunk.
Phillips rushed for 3,000 yards and 49 touchdowns and also played in the defensive line for three at Handley High School in Roanoke. He publicly showed up on the Auburn recruiting board on signing day.
"You just can't pass on a young man who's 45 minutes away, and he's that athletic,'' Luper said.
The question is what happens next. He could be a crowd-favorite fullback. Or a defensive lineman. Even offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's rich playbook doesn't have a chapter for a 290-pound fullback. But Malzahn, like Fannin, is intrigued.
"We're still learning about him and his skills,'' Malzahn said. "He's a load and he's got running back feet. He probably needs to lose a little bit of weight, but still, he's very athletic.
"You can tell that he wants to be good. It's important to him. He's one of those guys who has a chance.
"We'll see about how he responds once scrimmages start.''

Masoli understands he's down to his last chance at Ole Miss

After participating in his first practice as an Ole Miss Rebel Sunday, Jeremiah Masoli met with members of the media for the first time Monday since joining the program last week.

"I was just happy to have that opportunity and to get this chance, and thankful to Ole Miss, the athletics director and the chancellor for giving me my last chance," Masoli said during media day. "I understand that and I'm determined to do everything with it."

Masoli said he had drawn interest from six Div. 1-A schools since being dismissed from Oregon following the second of his two offseason arrests. The quarterback said there was one big reason why he chose Ole Miss over the others.

"Coach Nutt is the main reason I came here, first and foremost," Masoli said. "Just him as a person, that's what really caught my attention. I could hear the genuineness in his voice. There's just something about him that made me feel comfortable."

Gamecocks' Spurrier on Garcia: 'I haven't been hard on him at all'

"I'm not going to lie, I was pretty upset about it," Garcia said in April. "I'm just going to have to use that as motivation and try to prove him wrong."

South Carolina's media days Sunday, and Spurrier has no idea what all of the Garcia fuss and hurt feelings was all about.

"I haven't been hard on him at all," Spurrier said according to The State. "He didn't have a very good last game. I didn't have a very good last game."

Spurrier then addressed the biggest criticism most everyone has of Garcia: turnovers and the mental mistakes that marked his sophomore season.

"I'm not saying one mistake and he's out of the game," the coach said. "Nobody's mad at Stephen.. Stephen has been told what he's expected to do, we expect him to play well and not have those critical errors and mistakes."

Garcia threw ten interceptions and was the 84th-rated passer in the country in 2009

'Bama's Dre Kirkpatrick 'coming along' after tearing labrum (again) in shoulder

It happened while tackling Heisman winner Mark Ingram during the A-Day Game. The feeling was familiar. Immediately, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick knew he'd torn the labrum in his right shoulder. It's the same injury his left shoulder sustained late in his high school career. "Things happen," Kirkpatrick said. "I looked at is as it's football, and I know things are going to happen. As long as I can get healthy and do the proper treatment, I'm not going to worry about it too much." Kirkpatrick exited spring as the starting cornerback opposite B.J. Scott, roles that each are expected to carry in the Sept. 4 opener against San Jose State. "We're a little hungry to prove that we're still the defense that we were last year," Kirkpatrick said. As for the injury, Kirkpatrick is practicing full-speed. But he wouldn't quite say his shoulder is back to 100 percent yet from the offseason surgery, but he feels that, "It's coming along."