Arkansas Razorbacks best fit is the SEC

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has a message for outsiders who believe the Razorbacks should consider leaving the Southeastern Conference for the Big 12 because it would be better, geographically, for the program.
“It’s our decision where we fit,” Long said.
There’s no doubt in his mind it’s the SEC.
Long weighed in on expansion talk — which has included rumblings about the Razorbacks’ plans if a spot opened up in the Big 12, during an interview Monday. Previously, Long has stated Arkansas had millions of reasons, financially, to remain in the SEC. He maintained his stance.
Long said it wouldn’t make sense for the Razorbacks to leave the riches of a league oozing with exposure and loaded with financial stability.
“I think that’s a very uninformed view that we would naturally fit better in the Big 12 region,” Long said. “Certainly the SEC is the strongest conference top to bottom. Not only financially, but competitively. And our conference is a conference of strength. Not one that would be subject to losing members and such.”
Arkansas which is operating under a $57 million budget, receives roughly $17 million a year under the league’s revenue sharing plan. The SEC is also finishing its first full year under the $3 billion television contracts with ESPN and CBS.
But with expansion talk swirling this spring, the Razorbacks have been a popular target. Especially with Missouri’s reported interest in leaving the Big 12 and relocating to the Big Ten.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier vocalized that thought when asked about expansion during last week’s SEC football teleconference.
“I’ve heard maybe Arkansas back to the Big 12 or something like that,” he said. “It could happen.”
Arkansas jumped from the Southwest Conference to the SEC along with South Carolina in the early 1990s under former athletic director Frank Broyles. It ended the school’s yearly rivalries with former SWC schools like Texas and Texas A&M, but the benefits have been immeasurable.
Long said it would be a mistake to move again.

USC HC Spurrier...Praises Shaw...Challenges Garcia...same old...same old

Spurrier said Shaw has been a quick study since graduating high school early and enrolling at USC in January.
"Connor's one of these guys that tries to learn everything there is to learn. He's ready to play right now, and he's only been here three or four months," Spurrier said. "Some of our guys have been here two years and don't know anything."
Spurrier has made it clear he expects more this year from Garcia, a redshirt junior who was the SEC's second-leading passer in 2009 behind Ryan Mallett of Arkansas. Spurrier said Garcia took too many sacks - the 37 allowed by the Gamecocks tied LSU for most in the SEC - and failed to keep his focus every play.
But Spurrier's biggest push with Garcia is to get the right-hander to improve his commitment level.
Garcia has been at his parents' home in Lutz, Fla., since the semester ended. He has been working out at his former high school and will return to Columbia at the end of the month for the start of summer school and the team's voluntary passing drills.
"We're hoping Stephen Garcia will have a good summer," Spurrier said. "We give our guys a plan to follow through the summer. Hopefully this year, he'll follow it. He hasn't followed it very well other years."
But Spurrier is not putting all of the weight of the 2010 season on Garcia's shoulders. He mentioned three other areas in need of improvement: the offensive line, special teams and the ability to come up with defensive takeaways and scores.
Spurrier is working with his third offensive line coach in as many years after John Hunt was let go after four seasons and his replacement, Eric Wolford, left after one season to become the head coach at Youngstown State.

Arkansas' Key Player...Ryan Mallett

Ryan Mallett passed for a school-record 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns and had the third-highest efficiency rating in SEC history at 152.5 last season. He's the reason this Razorback team will be in the SEC West mix, but the junior must get better on the road.
The 6'7" rifleman is expected to have another big year, but his numbers might not be as gaudy, considering Bobby Petrino has learned in two excursions through the SEC that he must have a more viable running attack.

Auburn's Key Player...Cam Newton

Auburn's Cameron Newton was a top recruit out of Atlanta but ran into legal problems and a crowded quarterback roster at Florida, his first SEC stop. His career was rejuvenated at Blinn (Texas) College, where he won the NJCAA national title. He came to Auburn displaying a strong arm and impressive elusiveness in the spring.
Newton is officially still in competition for the starting quarterback job, but if the mammoth 6'6", 247-pound athlete is not in the shotgun on Sept. 4 when Arkansas State rolls into town, it will be a major surprise.

Athlon Sports places Razorbacks at preseason No. 17

The Arkansas Razorback football team is seated at No. 17 in Athlon Sports' preseason top 25, it was released on Tuesday.
Head coach Bobby Petrino's squad, at preseason No. 17, saw eight players selected as All-SEC performers. Athlon Sports predicts Arkansas will finish second in the Southeastern Conference's West Division.
Athlon named quarterback Ryan Mallett and tight end D.J. Williams First-Team All-America. Both players also join the All-SEC First Team along with wide receiver Greg Childs. Wide receiver Joe Adams and offensive lineman DeMarcus Love are named Second-Team All-SEC. Defensive lineman Jake Bequette, linebacker Jerry Franklin and kick returner Dennis Johnson made the All-SEC Third Team.
Athlon Sports' preseason magazines hit retail locations May 27 with the Arkansas Southeastern regional edition cover featuring Ryan Mallett.
Nashville-based Athlon Sports is a 43-year-old integrated media company. It remains a leader in sports prediction accuracy and creating the most sought-after preseason content online and in magazines at the newsstand.

Vols' HC Dooley taps QB Simms as starter...for Now

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Dooley, speaking to a group of boosters in Cleveland, Tenn., tapped Simms as his starter in the here and how. He made sure to stress, though, that it's premature to state with any type of certainty that Simms will still be atop Tyler Bray on the depth chart when September rolls around.
"We have two that came out of spring that are competing for the job," Dooley said. "Matt Simms is our leader, he's our No. 1 quarterback and has a lot of good qualities about him. Tyler Bray, of course, is young, and he's got a lot of talent, too.
"At the end of the day, they're both new to Knoxville, only been there four months. They're new to the offense, new to all the players around them, so how quickly they can get up to speed with all that will determine how quickly they can play to their capacity. We're just going to stay the course. It's real premature to know who's going to be our guy." Our money at SEC Football Online(if we were betting men)is on Simms to take the snaps over center in the opener.

How many first-round draft picks will come from Alabama next year?

What has taken Mel Kiper and Todd McShay so long to predict the top players who will be selected? The two ESPN draft gurus, have sized up the draft-eligible talent and have made their projections. How many first-round picks from Alabama do you think each one expects? They both predict three. And they pick the same three, in the same order. But they disagree on how high or low these three juniors, defensive end Marcell Dareus, running back Mark Ingram and wide receiver Julio Jones will go. McShay has posted an entire first round of a mock draft. He believes the Buffalo Bills will take Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick. Then McShay predicts the St. Louis Rams will take Dareus with the No. 2 pick. McShay goes on to say Ingram will go to the New York Giants with the No. 19 pick, and Jones will go to Cincinnati with the No. 24 pick. Kiper, the guru of gurus, has posted his first 2011 Big Board. He lists the top 25 players, beginning with Washington QB Jake Locker. Kiper rates Dareus at No. 7, Ingram at No. 11 (the top running back) and Jones at No. 17 (the third WR, behind No. 4 A.J. Green of Georgia and No. 14 Jonathan Baldwin of Pittsburgh). Where's Dont'a Hightower? The junior linebacker is coming back from a serious knee injury. Otherwise, he would have seemed certain to make one or both of these lists.

Former 'Bama player... Cody making an impression in Baltimore

Former Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody is getting a warm reception as mini-camp opened in Baltimore on Friday, and the biggest smile might have been from one of the NFL's all-time great linebackers -- Ray Lewis.
"My mindset definitely changed when we drafted Cody," Lewis said, "Just imaging Cory Redding, Cody, Ngata and Suggs on one line. I think I will get to run around and have fun again, and that's always a good thing."
"It's just amazing to see how they bought in so quickly ... just seeing them try to run to the ball and all these young guys just getting to the ball," Lewis added of Cody and fellow rookie Sergio Kindle, an outside linebacker from Texas.
Although he's listed on the Ravens' roster at 6-foot-4, 360 pounds, Cody said he was 350 on draft day and hopes to get down to 340. Ravens coaches and fans are salivating at the prospect of pairing Cody with the 6-4 345-pound Ngata on the defensive front, giving the Ravens a tandem reminiscent of Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams in their Super Bowl year of 2000.
Cody reportedly worked some with the Ravens' first-team defense on Friday, smothering 1,000-yard rusher Ray Rice on the first rushing play of the scrimmage.

Herschel Walker on Kiffin: 'He is a guy you don't want to trust at all'

Derek Dooley has been a blessing in disguise, according to former NFL star Herschel Walker.
"Derek has done very well and is a very smart young man," Walker said. "I've known him since he was a little boy. I'm happy to see him here and see (former UT coach Lane) Kiffin leave."
Walker has known Dooley since the UT coach was a teenager. Walker played for Dooley's father, Vince, at the University of Georgia (1980-83). Even then, the younger Dooley's intelligence and football knowledge stood out to Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner.
"I think he (Dooley) is going to do well," Walker said. "He's always loved football. I think Tennessee is going to be very happy with him. One thing about Coach Dooley is he believes in running the ball. In the SEC that's what you've got to do."
Walker was less charitable to Kiffin, who left Tennessee to take over the head coaching job at Southern Cal after one season.
"Kiffin is a guy you don't want to trust at all," Walker said. "I think it's sad when you trust your kids with someone like that and they leave."

Delaware defensive lineman Angelo Blackson chooses Auburn

Auburn recruiting hit the road for a football commitment Saturday.Angelo Blackson, a defensive lineman from Bear, Del., said he'll sign with the Tigers next February.That's according to Inside the Auburn Tigers and AuburnSports.com and AuburnUndercover.com. They'll have the quotes.Blackson checks in at 6-foot-5, 294 pounds. He visited Auburn during the A-Day weekend, and now says he'll be a part of the 2011 signing class.He had 56 tackles, including seven sacks, last season. He averaged 20 points a game for his basketball team. He chose Auburn over the likes of Maryland, Missouri and North Carolina State. A Missouri recruiting website said Blackson also had an offer from Tennessee, and that Southern Cal and Ohio State had expressed an interest.

Former Vols lineman finds a new, smaller home

Tennessee's only returning starting offensive lineman, Aaron Douglas, stunned the football program by deciding to transfer from the school.
Over a month later, the second-team Freshman All-American has found a new home.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Douglas has decided to resume his playing career Arizona Western College, a junior college in Yuma, Ariz., near the California border.
Two of Douglas' former high school teammates are enrolled at the school, so that obviously played a role in the lineman's decision.
Douglas will be eligible to play immediately, and would have two years of eligibility remaining if/when he decides to transfer to a Div. 1-A school, reunites with Lane Kiffin at USC?

LSU's Montgomery on Sporting News All-Spring Team

LSU defensive end Sam Montgomery has been named to the Sporting News All-Spring Team for college football, the publication announced on Tuesday.
Montgomery, a redshirt freshman from Greenwood, S.C., impressed LSU coaches during the spring, so much that he emerged from the 15 days of practice in a battle with Lavar Edwards for a starting role at defensive end.
In four scrimmages during the spring, Montgomery tallied a team-high 23 tackles go to with five sacks and two tackles for losses. He also added a pair of pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.
Montgomery capped his first spring practice with the Tigers with three tackles and a pair of sacks in the spring game.
For his efforts during spring training, Montgomery was honored with the Toby Caston Performance Award, which goes to the outstanding defensive performer for the Tigers.
Other football players from the Southeastern Conference on the Sporting News All-Spring Team include: running back Vick Ballard from Mississippi State, defensive lineman Marcell Dareus from Alabama, defensive lineman Antoine Carter from Auburn, and linebacker Jelani Jenkins from Florida.

Gator's Black, Henry and Pouncey Named 2010 Preseason All-Americans by NationalChamps.net

Florida rising seniors Mike Pouncey (Lakeland, Fla.), Chas Henry (Dallas, Ga.) and Ahmad Black (Lakeland, Fla.) were recognized Monday by NationalChamps.net as preseason 2010 All-Americans. In the 11th annual NationalChamps.net Preseason All-AmericanTeam preview, Pouncey was tabbed a first team honoree, while Henry and Black picked up third team and honorable mention honors, respectively, in preview of the upcoming 2010 season.
Pouncey was tabbed an Outland Trophy Watch List candidate in 2009 and finished the season with AP Second Team All-America honors. The offensive lineman has started 28 straight games for the Orange and Blue, 31 total, and has seen action in 39 games as a Gator.
Henry, a 2008 semifinalist and 2009 finalist for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation’s top punter by The Greater Augusta (GA) Sports Council, has been a standout special teams player for the Gators during his three-year tenure in Gainesville. Only three of Henry’s punts in 2009 were returned for positive yards (21 yards total), while 15 landed inside the 20-yard line. Henry booted eight 50-plus yards and the Gators allowed zero punt return yards in 12 of 14 games. Additionally, Henry set an SEC Championship Game record with an average of 48.8 yards on four punts vs. Alabama in 2009, hitting two for over 50 yards.
Black, who tied for the lead nationally with all football players, with seven interceptions en route to UF’s 2008 BCS National Championship, has played in 35 games as a safety, made 26 starts in his UF career and recorded 136 total tackles (69 solo). Black ranked second on the Gators’ squad in 2009 in tackles, with 70, and earned honorable mention AP All-SEC honors in 2009.

Gamecocks' Moe Brown Named to Hampshire Honor Society

University of South Carolina wide receiver Moe Brown has been named to the 2010 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society. Brown will graduate this week with a degree in finance/marketing.
The NFF Hampshire Honor Society recognizes college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 grade point average or better. A total of 620 players from 246 schools qualified for membership in the society's fourth year.
"The NFF's mission is to build leaders through football, and this year's Hampshire Honor Society members are living proof of that charge," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "Each of these young men has showcased a strong desire to succeed on and off the football field, and we are certainly proud to honor them for their accomplishments as the next generation of our nation's leaders." 

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's current National Scholar-Athlete program, greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year and further strengthening the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student- athletes who play football at the more than 700 college and universities with football programs nationwide. Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided an endowment to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF chairman from 1994-2006. 


Vols' Dooley not feeling the Heat yet ...but it is Early

"If you try to temper fans' expectations, you're walking up a hill you can't climb," Dooley said during the tour stop at the Cleveland Country Club. "Here's what's fun , the expectations now versus the fall. Now it's, 'Hey, coach, we're understanding. We've got a long way to go.'
"But the first time you kick that ball off, the feelings change a little bit because of the competitive environment, and that's OK. You wouldn't want it any other way. Surprisingly, expectations aren't that different anywhere you go. It's always a little higher than what you could probably pull off , no matter where you are."
A lack of depth and plenty of inexperience has lowered the bar at UT this year, and there seems to be a consensus that it could take some time for Dooley to get the program back to higher standards.
The questions have mostly been about his coaching philosophies, what he learned from his legendary father and daily requests for updates on the status of departed players Bryce Brown and Aaron Douglas. "I think it's an important part of the job," Dooley said. "A lot of coaches treat that as sort of a necessary evil, but I think we have a responsibility. It's like a company and your customer base. They're our customers, and we have a responsibility to serve them the right way, and they need to know who their coach is and they need to feel good about their coach.
"Same thing with the team, they need to understand they have a responsibility to represent the fans. If you don't have the fans, you don't have a program. This is what makes Tennessee special."

Mettenberger has offers from Cincy, Louisville

Just three days after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery for "grabbing the breasts and touching the buttocks of the victim", quarterback Zach Mettenberger may be close to finding a new home.
From the KelinJohnson.com, Zach Mettenberger said that he has two scholarship offers already in hand, one from Cincinnati and one from Louisville. He will be visiting the latter on May 7, and the former on May 13.
"I'm excited to have another opportunity to live out my dream of playing Division 1 football," Mettenberger told the website. "Both schools have new coaches. Louisville went to the Orange Bowl recently and Cincinnati had a great season last year. They aren't Georgia, but I will have the chance to throw the ball more at both universities because of a spread offense."
Additionally, Mettenberger has received "heavy interest" from schools such as Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Troy State, Memphis, and Colorado.
As for the charges he pleaded guilty to, Mettenberger admitted that he was in the wrong that night in Valdosta, but said that was not the "real" him.
" I know I made a mistake and I'm not going to mess up again," Mettenberger said. "The people who are judging me don't really know who I am. The people who are close to me are the ones that really matter."

Urban Meyer on track for his next 'official' return

In his place has been offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, who has taken to the booster circuit normally traveled by Meyer at this time of the year, and even stood in for the Gator head coach during an SEC teleconference last week.
Come July, however, Meyer looks to be on track to take the reins back over from Addazio.
According to a press release issued by the conference, Meyer is scheduled to take part in the SEC Football Media Days, held this year at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala., from July 21-23.
Meyer, along with unnamed UF "Student-Athletes", is scheduled to appear before the media between 3-5 ET on the first day of the gala. New Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips and some of his players are also slated to appear during the same block of time.

Gators...still the Beast from the East

New quarterback John Brantley has an NFL arm and four of five starters return from a very good offensive line. The Gators are loaded at receiver as Andre Debose and Carl Moore return from injuries. Chris Rainey, who played running back last season, moved to the hybrid “Percy Harvin” position and should have a big year. Florida has a couple of young players, Trey Burton and tight end Jordan Reed, who can run the ball from the quarterback position.
So, can the defense overcome the losses to the draft? Five starters from the 2009 defense, which finished fourth nationally (252.57 ypg), were taken in the NFL draft. The other lost starter, linebacker Ryan Stamper, led the team in tackles last season with 78. Also gone is defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, now the head coach at Louisville.