Texas AnM, Missouri will pay $12.4 mil to exit Big 12

Missouri and Texas A&M announced on their respective athletic websites that the total cost of leaving the Big 12 will be just under $25 million — or, $12.41 million each. But because of items such as direct payments from the NCAA, bowl payouts, etc., A&M will only end up paying the Big 12 $9.31 million out-of-pocket, according to reports by the San Antonio Express News and Dallas Morning News.

As a reference, SEC schools made just under $20 million in payout from the SEC in 2010-11.

Plus, there’s a provision. A&M “will receive a portion of the benefit received by the Big 12 Conference from the signing of its television contract with Fox Sports, scheduled to commence July 1, 2012.”

Missouri, on the other hand, has waived claim to any of the aforementioned TV benefits. Additionally, the school will pay the Big 12 approximately $500,000 for its share of officiating expenses for 2011-12 athletic year.

Here’s the statement from A&M:

“On behalf of Texas A&M University and Aggies worldwide, I would like to thank the Big 12 and its member institutions for the many memories over the past 16 years. We value our ongoing academic and athletic relationships with Big 12 members, and it is our hope to continue many of our longstanding athletic rivalries in the future. We appreciate the Big 12 working with us on a quick and amicable settlement.”

And from Missouri:

“We are pleased to have these issues resolved and we wish the Big 12 and its continuing member institutions the best in the future.”

Tide to offer four-year scholarships

Speaking to Cecil Hurt of TideSports.com, head coach Nick Saban confirmed that the football program will offer four-year scholarships beginning in 2013. Saban said, in essence, that the uncertainty swirling around the issue forced the school’s hand into not speaking on the subject publicly.

“Last year, it was something that was tabled,” Saban said. “Then there was the vote to rescind. We just wanted to know exactly what the rule would be before we made a comment. What if we had started offering four-year scholarships and then the rule had been changed back?”

One thing Saban stressed, and probably hasn’t been stressed enough, is the fact that, while the sport is moving away from one-year scholarships to multiyear ones, a player can still have his scholarship stripped if he fails to meet his obligations off the field and in the classroom.

“Most of the conditions are still the same,” he says. “The player will still have to be academically eligible. He will still have to obey team rules and regulations. And the player is still going to have the same rights and the same appeals process that he has now.”

Saban added that he thinks all of the members of the SEC will offer four-year scholarships beginning next year. Along with the Tide, LSU, Tennessee and Texas A&M voted earlier this month to rescind the proposal.

The reality is, though, Saban and the other coaches had no choice but to go along with the multiyear scholarships after the override failed. Being a holdout, especially in the hyper-competitive SEC, would have put a school at a disadvantage on the recruiting front as it would’ve certainly been used against them.

by J. Taylor

Kentucky LB booted after arrest

Kentucky linebacker Ridge Wilson did his part to reset it back to zero. Wilson, a senior-to-be, was arrested on a felony drug charge early Sunday by local police during a routine patrol. According to the story from WDRB in Louisville, police were in an area “known for drug trafficking and drug use” when they spotted a car with an Indiana license plate parked along the road. Police said they saw a man, Wilson, leaning down in the driver seat with no lights on in the inside of the vehicle. When police investigated, Wilson was reportedly ”extremely nervous” and “kept mentioning that he played football for the University of Kentucky.” Police searched the vehicle with Wilson’s permission and reportedly found pair of jeans with a bag of Xanax pills in them. Police also allegedly found nearly $2,000 in cash on Wilson. The linebacker was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance, and according a UK spokesperson, has been suspended from the team for “breaking team rules.” Wilson was sixth on the team last season with 47 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Kentucky has announced that Wilson has been dismissed from the team.

NCAA moves kickoffs to 35-yard line

The NCAA announced Thursday that college football kickoffs will be moved from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line starting next season.

The move, designed to encourage more touchbacks and reduce potential injuries, comes after the NFL made a similar adjustment to kickoffs in 2011.

Kicking teams also will be prohibited from having a running head start of more than five yards.

"The recommended changes came from the Football Rules Committee after that group examined NCAA data showing that injuries during kickoffs occur more often than in other phases of the game," read a statement issued by the NCAA.

Touchbacks on kickoffs also have been moved from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line, while touchbacks on other plays -- punts into the end zone or fumbles out of the back of the end zone -- will continue to be placed at the 20-yard line.

Another change to the rules will require that players sit out at least one play if their helmet comes off during action on the field.

Lane Kiffin gets a good laugh about Tennessee’s “blame game”

Lane Kiffin hadn’t coached at Tennessee for two years, but was taking the blame for anything and everything wrong with the Volunteers until a shocking event last November.

What event was that? It was Tennessee’s first loss to Kentucky in 26 years, with Kentucky being led to a 10-7 win by a converted wide receiver who hadn’t played quarterback since high school.

It was after that signature loss that some Tennessee fans finally let Lane Kiffin off the hook, or at least let Derek Dooley join him in the blame game.

“Are you sure I didn’t get blamed for the Kentucky game? I’m sure somebody somewhere blamed me for that,” Kiffin told the AJC with a laugh.

“After we left two years ago, and I don’t remember the timeline, there were some floods in Tennessee. So people around here were joking that was my fault — that there were floods there.

“It is what it is. I still have a number of people I stay in contact with there at Tennessee. I know this: I did everything the right way there, as you can see what came out of the NCAA’s investigation. The goal was to make Tennessee better every day. That’s what we strived to do every day we were there … to build confidence in our players and our fan base, and recruit really good players.”

Flashback to 2009: Kiffin quickly reached celebrity status in his one season at Rocky Top, rocking the SEC establishment with his boldness and confidence. After beating out then-Florida coach Urban Meyer for a recruit, Kiffin famously said, “I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn’t get him.”

Ironically, Kiffin and Meyer have gone from archenemies to fast friends now that both are outside of the SEC empire. Meyer told the CBSSports that Kiffin apologized for his past transgressions, and Meyer (now at Ohio State) responded by saying “I acted like a child, too.”

by Michael Carvell

Nebraska DB coach says no thanks to LSU vacancy

With Ron Cooper heading off to the Tampa Bay Bucs, LSU has a secondary coach position to fill. That search is ongoing, but you can take at least one person out of the running for the job.

Or, so says Nebraska defensive backs coach Corey Raymond, a LSU alum who has been linked to the open job with the Tigers. Speaking to the media on Friday at the Big Ten track and field championships, Raymond said he had zero interest in returning to his old school.

“I’m not going to take that job,” said Raymond Friday. “I told LSU I wasn’t going to come down there and do any interviews.”

Raymond was hired last year by Huskers head coach Bo Pelini and said his 14-year-old son likes Lincoln.

“I like working with Bo,” Raymond said. “It’s like being at the Harvard of football

Gators extend Muschamp’s contract

After a year on the job in Gainesville, Will Muschamp has been rewarded with a little additional job security by his Florida bosses. As first reported by Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, the Gators have given its head football coach a one-year contract extension. The move means Muschamp is now signed through the 2016 season. UF subsequently confirmed that the school had picked up an option year written into the coach’s contract.

“Coach Muschamp’s original contract was for five years with an option year,” UF wrote in a statement. “The UAA exercised that option year in January and he now has five years remaining on his current contract.”

The extension doesn’t come with a bump in an annual salary that averaged $2.75 million under the terms of his original five-year deal. In his one season at UF since replacing Urban Meyer, Muschamp went 7-6. That inaugural campaign was capped by a bowl win over Meyer’s new team, Ohio State.

Florida will begin its second spring practice under Muschamp March 14, concluding the 15 allotted sessions with its annual spring game April 7.

by J. Taylor

Tee Martin finally added to USC staff

The school announced last night via its Twitter account that Martin was the Trojans’ new wide receivers coach, replacing new Oakland Raiders assistant Ted Gilmore.

“We are extremely fortunate to make Tee Martin the final addition to our coaching staff,” said Lane Kiffin in a statement. “Not only does he bring instant credibility as a national championship quarterback, but he has grown into a nationally recognized coach and recruiter. We look forward to him taking our record-breaking receivers to an even higher level.”

Martin comes to USC from Kentucky, where he spent the past two seasons and was heralded as a recruiter. With the Trojans’ top two receivers in Marqise Lee and Robert Woods returning, Martin will have some talented skill players to work with.

Martin’s official hiring comes almost a week after Marvin Sanders and Scottie Hazelton were officially added to the USC staff.

Florida TE pleads not guilty in battery case

Last Thursday, Florida sophomore tight end A.C. Leonard was arrested on a simple battery charge after an apparent physical altercation arose from a verbal spat with his girlfriend.

On Monday, Leonard entered a written plea of not guilty for the misdemeanor, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The police report from last week’s incident stated Leonard “shoved his girlfriend forcibly with both hands in her chest/neck area. The force of the shove knocked her down to the ground, causing her head to strike a dog cage that was behind her.” Leonard then reportedly tried to force his girlfriend out of their apartment by her hair and then by her feet.

“She had chunks of hair ripped out of her head,” GPD spokeswoman Cpl. Angelina Valuri said last week.

Leonard was booked in jail for one night. Upon his release the next morning in front of a judge, Leonard said “I never hit her. I just wanted her to leave.” Leonard has been suspended from team activities by coach Will Muschamp.

by Ben K.

LSU secondary coach reportedly leaving for Tampa Bay

Rumors began circulating yesterday in the evening, that LSU defensive backs coach Ron Cooper would be joining the Bucs, and while that still hasn’t been formally announced by either LSU or Tampa, Randy Rosetta of TigerSportsDigest tweeted tonight that he received confirmation from LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette that Cooper is in fact leaving.

Cooper had been with LSU since 2009 and previously served on staffs at South Carolina, Mississippi State and Wisconsin. What role he’ll play in the coaching staff at Tampa remains to be seen.

by Ben K.

Terps remove Vandy restriction from O’Brien transfer

Maryland confirmed via a press release that offensive lineman Max Garcia, quarterback Danny O’Brien and linebacker Mario Rowson have all been granted a full release from the football program with no transfer restrictions.

“While at first I thought it was important to limit the institutions to which they could transfer, I have since reconsidered my decision” head coach Randy Edsall said in a statement. “At the end of the day, I want what’s best for these guys and I wish them well in their futures.

“As a program we are looking forward to putting this distraction behind us and to moving forward. Spring practice opens on March 10 and we can’t wait to get back out on the field.”

Heavily criticized for limiting the transfer options of quarterback Danny O’Brien and two other players, Maryland is backing off that stance, with the Baltimore Sun reporting that all three players will now be permitted to transfer to Vanderbilt if they so desire. The Sun wrote that “Terps coach Randy Edsall is meeting with the players this morning and informing them of the decision.”

O’Brien, along with offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson, were granted releases from their scholarships earlier this month, although the releases came with stipulations: no transfers to ACC schools; any upcoming non-conference opponents, including West Virginia and Temple; and Vandy, coached by former Terps offensive coordinator James Franklin. The first two stipulations are standard, while the third was viewed, and rightly so, as vindictive, petty and classless.

Vandy's Hayward, Richardson ready for NFL Combine

Vanderbilt seniors Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson will look to enhance their National Football League prospects this week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Hayward, a cornerback out of Perry, Ga., and Richardson, a safety from Linden, Ala., are among 59 prospects from defensive secondary positions expected to test their skills at the important scouting combine. They will be among the last of more than 300 prospects to test before an array of NFL coaches, scouts and administrators.
While Hayward and Richardson await an interesting week with NFL personnel, several other 2011 Vanderbilt seniors are gearing up for the program's Pro Day on March 23. Among those expected to participate in Pro Day are defensive end/linebacker Tim Fugger, offensive lineman Kyle Fischer, quarterback Larry Smith, tight end Brandon Barden, defensive lineman T.J. Greenstone and receiver Udom Umoh.
The Combine marks Hayward's second opportunity to impress NFL teams since he tied the Vanderbilt school record for career interceptions with a pair of picks in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. In late January, Hayward capped a superb week of workouts in Mobile, Ala., by contributing an interception at the prestigious Senior Bowl.
Numerous draft experts rank Hayward among the top five cornerbacks in the upcoming draft. If he tests well in the 40-yard dash and agility workouts, Hayward could move higher and place himself in the mix for becoming a first-day selection.
For the 6-2, 218-pound Richardson, the Combine offers a chance to solidify his position among the nation's top safeties. The three-year Commodore starter has been training with 10 other invitees in Southern California.

"I'm looking forward to just going to Indianapolis and performing as well as I can," Richardson said. "I want to meet as many teams as I can, maximize my potential and move up the draft board."

Gators lineman seeking a sixth season

A five-star recruit coming out of high school, James Wilson is hoping the 2011 season wasn’t his last at Florida.

According to the Florida Times-Union, the Gators offensive lineman has petitioned the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility. Wilson dressed for four games during his true freshman season in 2007 but ultimately used his redshirt year, then missed the final 10 games of the 2010 season due to a left knee injury.

There’s no word on when the player and the school will receive a decision from the NCAA, although both parties are hopeful one will come before the start of spring practice next month.

Wilson has played a total of 38 games during his time in Gainesville, including 12 last season. he’s had five starts, with four of those coming in 2009.

Coming out of Ponte Vedra, Fla., in 2007, Wilson was one of the most highly-rated interior linemen in the country, ranking as the No. 1 guard. Additionally, he was the No. 2 player in the state of Florida and the No. 12 player at any position overall.

Four-star WR to sign Tuesday

Davonte Neal is the No. 53 player in the Class of 2012 and the No. 6 “athlete” in the country.

The wide receiver/cornerback is also the highest-rated ’12 recruit who remains unsigned nearly three weeks after National Signing Day, although that situation should be rectified in short order.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., product is expected to announce his decision Tuesday at noon ET and sign his Letter of Intent. Neal has reportedly narrowed his choices to Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina and Notre Dame.

The four-star player has already reportedly made his decision and informed his soon-to-be new coaches, who, the Arizona Daily Star writes, have been sworn to secrecy.

by J. Taylor

Kenny Miles still uncertain about a return to Gamecocks

Kenny Miles is still weighing whether his final season of college football will be played at South Carolina or elsewhere.

According to a tweet over the weekend from The State‘s Josh Kendall, the running back is still uncertain whether he will return to the Gamecocks for his senior season. Miles said he will make his final decision prior to the start of spring practice, which begins March 12. If Miles does decide to transfer from USC, he will be eligible to play immediately this season as he graduated in December. The reason for Miles considering a transfer is a relatively simple one: playing time. Prior to Marcus Lattimore going down to a season-ending ACL injury in mid-October, Miles had just one carry. Post-injury, Miles carried the ball 53 times in six games, including 21 carries in the regular season finale against Clemson and 15 in the bowl win over Nebraska.

Miles has rushed for 982 yards and two touchdowns.

Florida-Tennessee game may not make CBS schedule this year

Because of the new conference schedule that features new members Missouri and Texas A&M, Florida and Tennessee’s early season matchup may not be broadcast on CBS in favor of another game that features two more nationally relevant teams, Alabama and Arkansas.

“Normally you don’t have that kind of selection on that day because Alabama and Arkansas in past schedules has been a week later,” CBS Sports executive vice president Mike Aresco said, via the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “Alabama and Arkansas is a game we’ve done the last three years, so it does give us some options on that first Saturday.”

Aresco said CBS has until July to make a final decision.

The Florida-Tennessee game is the only SEC matchup that has been featured every year on CBS since 1996, but Florida has been average the past two seasons and Tennessee is a mess right now. Alabama, on the other hand, just won its second BCS championship in three years and Arkansas is coming off a Cotton Bowl win.

SEC schools going hard after Terps transfer

Garcia’s high school coach confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his former player is on the receiving end of scholarship offers from Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Ole Miss. Additionally, Alabama and South Carolina are considering doing the same for the Norcross, Ga., native.

It appears, though, that two schools are the early front-runners for the experienced lineman.

“He was very excited about Georgia and Florida both coming in on him,” Norcross High School assistant Reggie Stancil told the paper. “It’s a situation where you get your release but you don’t know who all is going to want you or have space on their roster for you. It’s kind of a scary situation for any kid going into it.

“Now that his name has gotten out there and people have watched his film and loved it, it’s a big relief that four pretty good SEC schools want him.”

As Garcia has yet to graduate, he will have to sit out the 2012 season regardless of which SEC he ultimately chooses. He will have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2013.

As a true sophomore in 2011, Garcia started all 12 games for the Terps at left tackle.

Son of All-Pro RB Fred Taylor commits to Florida

Kelvin Taylor, son of former Florida and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, announced at UF’s Junior Day that he was committing to the Gators.

Taylor (5’10″, 190 pounds) becomes the fifth commitment of the 2013 class for Florida and the second running back, along with Winter Haven HS Adam Lane. Taylor said he plans to enroll early.

Of course, verbal commitments are non-binding, so Taylor can change his mind at any time.

The Belle Glade product has been a part of two state titles and became Florida’s career rushing leader, passing Emmitt Smith‘s record of 8,804 yards.