Bama's QB duel for the heir to the Throne

A.J. McCarron looks exactly like every Crimson Tide quarterback ever: Sturdy, unassuming and unspectacular, expected mainly to keep a stiff upper lip in the huddle, the 'Bama Bangs out of his eyes and the defense and running game out of trouble. The best comparison, given his 6-foot-4 frame, four-star hype and instate roots, is probably to pre-Sabanite starter Brodie Croyle, but his profile is interchangeable with predecessors Tyler Watts, John Parker Wilson and, most recently, Greg McElroy.

Sims, on the other hand, arrived last year from Virginia with considerably more hype as the No. 2 "pro style" slinger in the 2010 recruiting class, according to Rivals, and offers a bigger body and bigger arm – as well as much better odds, as a third or fourth-year starter down the line, to be more than another within-the-offense "manager." SEC Football Online's pick, A.J., for you have to far back in 'Bama's past for a QB to jump the gun in the ranking order.

Kentucky’s Mark Crawford arrested on traffic charges

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Wildcats defensive tackle Mark Crawford was arrested Sunday evening and charged with driving on a suspended license. Additionally, the junior was hit with charges of careless driving and failure to maintain required insurance. Crawford was cited after he collided with another vehicle and was pulled over by Lexington police. The school is aware of the arrest, and said head coach Joker Phillips will handle any punishment internally.

In 2010, Crawford played in 10 games with five starts. He was suspended for the final two games for violating unspecified team rules.

LSU's three- way at QB

Jordan Jefferson vs. Jarrett Lee vs. Zach Mettenberger.

All incoming coaches are going to tell the media "Every position is up for grabs," to instill a sense of competition, combat complacency, etc. Although, new offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe's insistence that Jordan Jefferson, starter for 27 of the Tigers' last 28 games since the end of his freshman season in 2008, isn't a shoo-in for the job, but carries a little added credibility, because Jefferson struggled to stay on the field as a seemingly entrenched starter in 2010, regularly yielding to former pick-six king Jarrett Lee and finishing near the bottom of the SEC in pass efficiency. Lee clearly outshone Jefferson in the wins over Tennessee and Florida in early October, the depths of Jefferson's two-month, 32-quarter drought without a touchdown pass.

If LSU knows it can win with modest efforts from Jefferson and Lee, Mettenberger, a Georgia transfer by way of junior college, offers the big-play potential that's been so sorely lacking: At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he looks every bit the part of an NFL-bound fireballer in the pocket, and he only needs to reproduce a fraction of the Cam Newton Effect to ensure the Tigers are in the thick of the SEC and BCS championship races.

Alabama’s McElroy scores 48 on Wonderlic test

McElroy, a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, scored a 48 out of 50 on the Wonderlic Test, which assesses problem-solving and learning capabilities. Athletes have 12 minutes to complete the exam. To put that into perspective, the average score for a quarterback ranges around 21-24.

Wonderlic scores aren’t necessarily indicative of a quarterback’s success in the NFL. Dan Marino scored a 16 and Michael Vick scored a 20.

Patrick McInally, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, is the only player to ever receive a perfect 50.

UGA reinstates Ealey

In a statement issued by the school, head coach Mark Richt announced that Ealey has been reinstated and will resume activities with his teammates on Monday. The reinstatement means that Ealey will be available for spring practice, which is scheduled to kick off March 10.

"Over the past few weeks, Washaun has done the things we expect him to do the things we expect all our players to do," Richt said in the statement. "He’s been doing things the Georgia way, and will rejoin team activities Monday."

Last year, Ealey led the Bulldogs with 811 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Ealey will likely be relegated to a backup role this year, however, as 2011 signee Isaiah Crowell is expected to be the starter when the regular season rolls around.

Toomer’s Corner oaks given a fighting chance

Much of the top layer of the soil has been removed and replaced with a charcoal mix to try and absorb remaining traces of the herbicide in the week following the initial report. "The good news is the concentrations are much lower than we initially detected in the beds around the trees. The bad news is we still detected herbicide," said AU professor of horticulture Gary Keever. Keever has been on the task force assigned to try and save the trees.

"Is your glass half full or half empty? You can look at it either way. I choose to be an optimist because we’re doing the right thing."

Auburn officials believe a four-pound box of Spike 80DF was used to poison the trees, enough to cover an acre, but aren’t sure how much of the herbicide was absorbed. Tests Monday will be conducted to see if ground water has been contaminated.

Harvey Updyke, the man suspected of poisoning the trees, was arrested shortly after supposedly calling a radio show to announce the act. He was released on $50,000 bail on Feb. 18, and according to the Birmingham News, has been living in his car by a creek somewhere in Alabama.

Weis rolling in the dough at Florida

Weis is set to receive $765,000 this year, and the raise of $100k for the next two seasons will make Weis the highest paid assistant under Will Muschamp. Weis also received a $100,000 signing bonus and receives a $10,000 supplement for wearing Nike apparel.

Amazingly, Weis’ salary as an assistant is more than his annual base salary at Notre Dame, which according to a report from the Chicago Tribune, topped out at $649,000. Of course, that didn’t include the $850,000 from Adidas and $1,303,000 from media appearances.

Muschamp’s staff as a whole is on par to receive nearly $5 million through their contract negotiations.

Tar Heels make hiring of LSU assistant official

In the release sent out by the school, the Tar Heels confirmed that head coach Butch Davis has hired Joe Robinson as his new defensive line coach. Robinson had spent the past three seasons as line coach and special teams coordinator at LSU. "Joe is a tremendous defensive line coach who has a well-rounded résumé with experience at several different positions," Davis said in a statement. "We had several outstanding candidates for the position and Joe was the best fit for our staff and players." "Joe is a great person and an even better coach," UNC defensive coordinator Everett Withers, who worked with Robinson at Southern Miss in the early nineties, said. "He does a great job with the kids, teaching them the fundamentals and helping them grow through the college experience. He is a great fit for this staff and will help our defensive linemen become better players." In addition to LSU and Southern Miss, Robinson has also been an assistant at Arizona and Louisiana Tech. Robinson will replace Brian Baker, who left the Tar Heels last month for a job with the Dallas Cowboys.

Twelve-member committee will decide punishment for Vols

The 12-member panel of the NCAA Committee on Infractions features a lawyer from Malibu, Calif., a former George W. Bush-appointed U.S. attorney, two conference commissioners, one of Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols' court-appointed attorneys, two former standout women's basketball players, four law professors and only one person with direct SEC ties.

Hundreds of years of experience in law and athletic administration will be on the other side of the table when UT administrators, men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl, the school's team of lawyers and others will present their case on June 10 and 11. Though UT desires it, a summary disposition was all but ruled out by NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Julie Roe Lach in a letter to UT chancellor Jimmy Cheek.

The people who will peruse those documents with scrupulous, diverse and experienced eyes:

Britton Banowsky Commissioner, Conference USA

John S. Black: Senior Partner at Polsinelli and Shughart

Missy Conboy: Senior Deputy Director of Athletics, Notre Dame

Roscoe C. Howard Jr.: Partner, Andrews Kurth LLP

Eleanor Myers: Professor of Law, Temple University School of Law

James O'Fallon: Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon School of Law

Gregory Sankey: Associate Commissioner, SEC

Dennis Thomas: Commissioner, Mid-Eastern Conference

Rodney Uphoff: Professor of Law, University of Missouri

Julie Roe Lach: Vice President of Enforcement, NCAA

Shep Cooper: Director of the Committee on Infractions, NCAA

Brian P Halloran: Halloran Law Office

SEC title game to stay at Georgia Dome through 2017

The conference announced Friday afternoon that they have reached an agreement to keep the title game at the Georgia Dome for an additional two years. With five years remaining on a deal consummated in July of 2009, it means the title game will remain at the Dome through the 2017 season. "The SEC Football Championship Game continues to be one of the premiere college sports events,” commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement. “The Georgia Dome and the Georgia World Congress Center has shown year-in and year-out that it is an outstanding host for our event."

"We are both excited and honored that the SEC wants to keep their football championship in the Georgia Dome and the City of Atlanta," Dome General Manager Carl Adkins said. "This event is the most prestigious football championship in all of college football and we are thrilled to keep the game in the Georgia Dome for many years to come."

While the first two SEC title games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., the title game has been held at the Atlanta facility every year since 1994. 16 of those 17 games have sold out.

Mullen: Cam Newton situation ‘kind of stained almost everybody’

Speaking to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's Brandon Marcello, Mullen said he carries no regrets as to how his school handled the Newton situation, although he did allow that almost nobody touched by the scandal came away unscathed. "I don’t regret how we handled his recruiting situation at all," Mullen said. "How the situation kind of stained almost everybody, I don’t like that, because I care about Cam a lot. I’m proud of him and I’m happy for all of the things he’s accomplished." Mullen had a fairly close relationship with Newton dating back to their time together at Florida. It was that relationship that had many convinced he would transfer to Mississippi State after completing a season at the JUCO level in 2009. Instead, Newton somewhat surprisingly, and at the behest of his father, reportedly, opted to take his talents to Auburn, where of course he won the Heisman and a BcS title during his one season on The Plains. Despite all that’s gone on, and may continue to go on, regarding Newton, Mullen maintains that he’s got the quarterback’s back if he ever needs it. "I’m sure our paths will cross," Mullen said. "Like I said, if Cam called me today and said, ‘Coach, I need a favor,’ in a heartbeat I’d do whatever I could to help him as a former player. I’ve always thought we were very, very close. In my opinion, nothing has changed in my feelings toward him. I don’t feel any different today."

If the latest round of rumors involving Kenny Rogers are proven correct, Mullen may indeed feel a little different regarding the situation. Rogers, a former MSU player and alleged middleman in Cecil Newton’s pay-for-play scheme, is rumored to be in possession of an audio tape that supposedly doesn’t exactly cast his alma mater in the most favorable of light when it comes to the Newton situation.

The fact that the NCAA’s investigation into Newton’s recruitment is still ongoing, and the newest Rogers rumors, HBO is reportedly engaged in conversations with Rogers and his people about appearing on the network’s "Real Sports" show.

No compensation for student-athletes

The topic of whether student-athletes should be paid is not a debate in the eyes of the NCAA’s new president. Mark Emmert has made it clear that under his watch, college athletes will not be compensated as though they were professionals.

"They are student-athletes. They are not our employees, they don’t work for us," he said. "They are our students, so we don’t pay them." Speaking at a Town Hall Los Angeles luncheon on Wednesday, Emmert touched on a variety of topics, including NCAA funding, enforcing rules infractions, conference realignment and the Bowl Championship Series. Emmert officially assumed his duties late last year and already believes the NCAA is doing as well now as at any time in its history. Emmert’s stance is that high-profile athletes should not be rewarded financially for their contributions, with the opportunities presented while participating in college athletics serving as a reward in itself.

"They get to have experiences that very few students get a chance to enjoy," Emmert said. "If they take full advantage of it, they will have spectacular opportunities in life."

Auburn gets burned...Hurtt staying at Louisville

Not to often does a coach turn down an offer to coach in a SEC position, try never, until now! Word first surfaced Wednesday that the Cardinals defensive line coach had interviewed for the same position at Auburn. A day later, Hurtt’s boss reported via Twitter that his assistant is staying put. "Big news! The big hurtt is staying with the cardinals," head coach Charlie Strong tweeted late this morning. It’s unclear whether Hurtt was offered the position and turned it down, or whether he simply decided to stay at his current job. Or, if Auburn decided to go in another direction after the interview.

Former Minnesota assistant Tim Cross is also reportedly a candidate, and is expected to interview for the defensive line job in short order, if he hasn’t interviewed already.

LSU Proposes Football Assistant Coach Contracts

BATON ROUGE - The contract for new LSU offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe will be presented for approval to the LSU Board of Supervisors at its next meeting on March 4, vice chancellor and director of athletics Joe Alleva announced on Thursday.

In addition, the athletic department is proposing contract adjustments for three assistant football coaches, two of whom were recruited by other schools after LSU's Cotton Bowl victory in January, and the head strength coach who was also pursued by other athletics programs.

"When a football program is as successful as LSU has been under Les Miles, other schools will come calling on your staff members," said Alleva. "Consistency in a staff is a key ingredient to sustained success and Coach Miles has done a wonderful job of keeping a consistent coaching staff. These salary adjustments will help us maintain that success."

No state tax dollars and no student fees are used to fund LSU Athletics. All revenues are generated through ticket sales, donations associated with tickets, radio and television rights, concessions and merchandise sales and Southeastern Conference revenue distribution. USA Today recently reported that LSU and Nebraska were the only two athletics programs in the nation that used no state tax dollars to operate their athletics programs in each of the last four years.

The contract adjustments come on the heels of LSU's 11th straight bowl appearance. The Tigers posted a record of 11-2 and finished No. 8 in the country in 2010 after a resounding 41-24 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. It was the fourth time LSU has won at least 11 games in a season since Miles arrived at LSU in 2005.

Kragthorpe's proposed contract is for three years with an annual salary of $700,000, equal to that of defensive coordinator John Chavis.

The athletic department is proposing salary increases for defensive line coach Brick Haley from $340,000 to $380,000; for offensive line coach Greg Studrawa from $230,000 to $275,000; and for tight ends coach Steve Ensminger from $170,000 to $190,000.

In addition, a promotion has been proposed for head strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffittto assistant athletic director which would increase his annual compensation from $215,000 to $300,000.

"These proposed salaries are consistent with similar positions at other schools with which we must compete to remain successful," Alleva said.

By http://www.lsusports.net

Two Bulldogs To Be Inducted Into Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

ATHENS, Ga.- Two former University of Georgia Bulldogs will be inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, Feb. 26, at the annual banquet in Macon.

Former football player and head football coach Ray Goff, and former national champion tennis player Lisa Spain Short, both natives of Moultrie, Ga., are among seven individuals who were elected to the State Hall by the GSHF Honors Court.

Goff played quarterback for the Bulldogs and in 1976 led the team to a Southeastern Conference title and earned SEC Player of the Year honors. Later, he became UGA's head football coach from 1989-95. He amassed a record of 46-34-1 in seven seasons. The 1992 squad was his finest, going 10-2 with a share of the SEC's Eastern Division and a final national ranking of eighth.

Spain was the first All-American in the history of Georgia women's tennis and led the Bulldogs to their first SEC regular season and tournament titles in 1983. In 1984, Spain captured the NCAA singles title and the Honda Broderick Award for tennis. As a professional, she climbed as high as 63rd in the world rankings and played in each of tennis' four grand slam tournaments.

Others chosen to the 2011 class include former longtime high school football coach Robert Davis, former football player and SEC official Joe DeLany, former college and professional basketball standout Dale Ellis, former golfer Bill Ploeger and former college and professional football standout from Macon James "J.T." Thomas.

The seven members of the 2011 class were selected from a starting pool of 251 eligible nominees that have distinguished themselves in a myriad of sports at every level of competition.

"I'm amazed each year at the seemingly limitless number of world-class athletes that our state produces", said GSHF Interim Director Ben Sapp. "At the Honors Court level, the committee members are always faced with very difficult decisions; this year was no different."

Gamecocks' Spurrier hires special teams coordinator

Today, the school announced that Steve Spurrier had filled that void with a very familiar face. In a press release, South Carolina announced that Steve Spurrier Jr. has been named as the football program’s recruiting coordinator. Spurrier will continue on as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Additionally, former Minnesota assistant John Butler has been named as the Gamecocks’ special teams coordinator.

"We think John Butler is an excellent special teams coach," said Coach Spurrier. "He had good success at the University of Minnesota. Our coaching staff was impressed with his knowledge and with his eagerness to do the job here at South Carolina. We look forward to having him join our staff."

Patrick Peterson listed as top prospect at NFL Combine by USA Today

LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley and Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, and perhaps controversial quarterback Cam Newton, Fairley's teammate, will spend a good portion of their time at this week's scouting combine starting Thursday in Indianapolis answering (or dodging) questions about why they deserve to go No. 1.

Peterson has lockdown cover potential but isn't flashy; Fairley has displayed the ability, albeit for one breakout season, to be a game-changing force; and sack-machine Bowers' best strength actually might be in defending the run.