'09 COLLEGE FOOTBALL OFF-SEASON THREAD-recruiting/Coaching Changes/Transfers

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Joyner is a Silent (if you believe in those sorts of things), Kenny Says he's gonna wait until the Under Armour game to commit (we'll see about thatthough) and Christian Green will not be committing to hi school of choice until after his official visit to UGA.

At the end of the day, I expect all to be 'Noles.

But we'll see.

Jimbo came out and said that we have 7 silents as of this moment.

 

[jville819]

At the end of the day, I expect all to be 'Noles.
What I like to hear.

Gunna, how's Nuke doing? Is he looking at early PT


KingJames you know anything about James Wilson. I haven't talked to him in a min but thats my boy and I heard he's finally all healthy. Any word on howhe's doing

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

And I dunno if you know but Mincey, Pressley, Thompson, Ty Jones, Vince Williams, Terrance Parks and Antwan Greenlee are all hurt.

Lonnie Pryor is the #2 RB as of this moment.

 

[raw120]

james wilson just came back from injury and is running 2nd team at guard

 

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by jville819


KingJames you know anything about James Wilson. I haven't talked to him in a min but thats my boy and I heard he's finally all healthy. Any word on how he's doing

He's been healthy at times but gets constantly dinged up and is now dealing with a sprained foot (just started practicing again). If he couldever stay healthy he would be starting for this team (talent wise he should be 1 of the top 5). He's such a good tealent and from all I know a good person. I just hope he puts everything together and realizes his potential but I'm beginning to doubt if he can stay heathly, which is a shame.

 

[unkleluke]

Originally Posted by dreClark

Joyner is a Silent (if you believe in those sorts of things), Kenny Says he's gonna wait until the Under Armour game to commit (we'll see about that though) and Christian Green will not be committing to hi school of choice until after his official visit to UGA.

At the end of the day, I expect all to be 'Noles.

But we'll see.

Jimbo came out and said that we have 7 silents as of this moment.

Yeah. I don`t think there will be any surprise in who the 7 are, or even the guys we`ll have my NSD...That Luc bit is interesting though, because the vibe Iwas getting was saying UF so idk at this point. But our RB recruiting is finna get interesting....

[table][tr][td]'Noles Lead for Storm

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]

Storm Johnson
[/td] [td]
[/td] [td]
[table][tr][td]
By Allen Wallace

National Recruiting Editor
Posted Aug 18, 2009
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[/td] [/tr][/table]

"I like the whole atmosphere at Florida State," Storm Johnson said. "It's a great vibe there and they have a good history of putting guys in the pros. The coaches are great and I really like coach Dexter Carter. Coach Carter just knows what he's doing. Plus coach Bobby Bowden is a legend. Even when he retires the program is in good hands under coach Jimbo Fisher. He learned from the best..."
[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
Storm Johnson, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound three-star running back from Buford, Ga., says he now has around 35 total scholarship offers from schools all over the country. Although Johnson hasn't scheduled any official visits yet, he says he should be ready to make a decision by the end of September.
"I'll try and take a few early visits in September," Johnson said. "I'll be talking to the coaches about the visits soon."

The only camp that Johnson attended during the summer was Florida State and the 'Noles are his clear favorite. "They're on top right now," he said. "I feel very comfortable there."

The 'Noles now lead slightly over Kentucky, Penn State, Ohio State and Clemson. All of his favorites have offered.

"I like the whole atmosphere at Florida State," he said. "It's a great vibe there and they have a good history of putting guys in the pros. The coaches are great and I really like (running back) coach Dexter Carter.

"Coach Carter just knows what he's doing," he said. "Plus coach Bobby Bowden is a legend. Even when he retires the program is in good hands under coach Jimbo Fisher. He learned from the best."

Johnson says another thing that impressed him about Florida State was the fans. "They are diehard," he said. "They love the team."

The only other team in Johnson's top five that he's already visited is Ohio State. "It's crazy there," he said. "It's an amazing game day atmosphere. I like the Big Ten a lot too and how they like to run the ball. They've produced some pretty good backs."

Another Big Ten program that Johnson is considering is Penn State. "They have great tradition," he said. "Plus they are a big-time program in the Big Ten. I like how they always seem to be playing in big games. Coach Joe Paterno is a legend like coach Bowden too."

Another school that has made a big push for Johnson's services is Kentucky. "They are an up-and-coming program," he said. "I like what they've been doing there. They are a team that a lot of people seem to sleep on and they're dangerous. You can't count them out and I love how they run the ball a lot too."

One school no longer on Johnson's list is LSU. "I don't think I fit into their offense," he said. "I wasn't really hearing what I wanted.

"I want to make sure the team runs the ball and that I'll play for coaches that will help me get to my ultimate dream goal, the NFL," Johnson said. "I also want to make sure I can get some early playing time."

Buford High School open their season on Aug. 21 against Grovetown.

Johnson plans on majoring in education and reports a 3.0 core GPA and has a 20 ACT.
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[fear the ibis]

Miami is loaded at LB
?


We have Spence.....that's about it. Nobody else stands out from the rest. Just a bunch of names. No players.

 

[kingjames23]

Originally Posted by Fear The Ibis

Miami is loaded at LB

?


We have Spence.....that's about it. Nobody else stands out from the rest. Just a bunch of names. No players.

Really? I really thought you guys had some talent. Are Futch, Cookie, Arthur, not progressing well?

Guess he should have stuck with UM.

 

[fear the ibis]

None of them are expected to start this year. Sure they were all highly ranked coming out of HS, and they add depth, but none are standout players as of now.


Could one of them breakout? Yeah, sure. They're all talented, but they're just not there yet.


To me loaded is when you have a group of proven players. We don't have that yet. Just bodies.

 

[jwill jr]

Originally Posted by after h0urs

Kris O'Dowd suffered dislocated kneecap in tonight's scrimmage

. Big loss if this is serious, he would have been All-American center.

didnt he hurt it his Freshman year? thats a bad injury because it seems like once it happens and its serious, it seems to keep being an issue... and I agree onthe All American status....

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Storm was a silent commit to LSU. He wanted to go public but the kitty's made him remain a silent because they didn't want to scare away that RB theywere chasing from Ohio. Don't remember that kid's name.

But eventually that RB from Ohio wanted, and he is at the top of their beard, next to Lache. Once buddy committed, LSU basically told Storm that his serviceswere no longer needed and that he'd be better off looking elsewhere.

Now you have the news that Storm suddenly dropped LSU, when in fact it was LSU that dropped him. Kinda dirty, but it is what it is. SEC is a cutthroatconference. At the end of the day though, I think that Storm isn't on top of our RB board. I think that Lattimore, Clements ad Bernard make up our top 3. Istill include Latt because Jimbo has been going after this kid for forever and we even signed Justin Bright last year (from Byrnes) in hopes of landing Latt.He has been going full bore at him and Latt was his #1 recruit so I refuse to believe that Jimbo will quit. Lattimore dropping us was a HUGE suprised toeveryone involved ESP. the coaching staff namely Dexter Carter and Jimbo. They had been hearing NOTHING but positive things. Don't think Jimbo will quit.Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

I think Storm ends up in the SEC. I wonder if he tried to commit, would he be a take?

 

[unkleluke]

Originally Posted by dreClark

Storm was a silent commit to LSU. He wanted to go public but the kitty's made him remain a silent because they didn't want to scare away that RB they were chasing from Ohio. Don't remember that kid's name.

But eventually that RB from Ohio wanted, and he is at the top of their beard, next to Lache. Once buddy committed, LSU basically told Storm that his services were no longer needed and that he'd be better off looking elsewhere.

Now you have the news that Storm suddenly dropped LSU, when in fact it was LSU that dropped him. Kinda dirty, but it is what it is. SEC is a cutthroat conference. At the end of the day though, I think that Storm isn't on top of our RB board. I think that Lattimore, Clements ad Bernard make up our top 3. I still include Latt because Jimbo has been going after this kid for forever and we even signed Justin Bright last year (from Byrnes) in hopes of landing Latt. He has been going full bore at him and Latt was his #1 recruit so I refuse to believe that Jimbo will quit. Lattimore dropping us was a HUGE suprised to everyone involved ESP. the coaching staff namely Dexter Carter and Jimbo. They had been hearing NOTHING but positive things. Don't think Jimbo will quit. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

I think Storm ends up in the SEC. I wonder if he tried to commit, would he be a take?

I also believe that Jimbo will continue to pursue Latt, but it`s a reason why he all of a sudden dropped us like that. He`ll end up as SouthCarolina most likely though (especially if Nick Jones commits there). And I actually like Storm a lot (LSU is f`n up). If I couldn`t get Gio, he`d be my #2...

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Originally Posted by UnkleLuke

I also believe that Jimbo will continue to pursue Latt, but it`s a reason why he all of a sudden dropped us like that. He`ll end up as South Carolina most likely though (especially if Nick Jones commits there). And I actually like Storm a lot (LSU is f`n up). If I couldn`t get Gio, he`d be my #2...

Latt said that he dropped us because of the Probation stuff but I believe that is horse****. Because the coaches BEEN explained to him theremifications of our probation and USCe/Clemson have been poundng that hin head hear for forever now. So now all of a sudden it's a big deal? When heexplained multiple times, on and off record, that he AND his moms were cool with it? I dunno. Never thought we were gonna get the kid, always pegged him toUSCe but still, I don't know man. I mean, the fact that even the coaches were like '!%%?' leads me to believe that something else went on. I dunno,we'll see.

And w/ the fact that we're probably going to get Smiley back from Juco (Who is bigger and possibly even faster + dominated Ga moreso than Storm. Not tomention he'll have 3 to play 3) I'd take Gio and Eduardo. For some reason people have been souring on him but I think the kid is the goods. Veryversatile back who could do damage as a RB and a WR. If Smiley's grades look questionable then I would look stronger at Storm, but if not then I'd lethim look elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see how Storm produces in a higher classification this year.

 

[juicy j 32]

[h4]Reassessing Virginia Tech's hold on the ACC, minus Darren Evans[/h4]
By Matt Hinton

Virginia Tech has succeeded wildly -- three ACC championships and four Coastal division titles in five years -- without much offense to speak of: The Hokie offense has finished 99th, 100th and 103rd in total offense since 2006, and somehow won the conference last year despite averaging only 22 points, eighth in the conference and a dramatic decrease from the division/conference champs of 2004, 2005 and even 2007. And that was with their best running back since Kevin Jones in the lineup.

So Darren Evans' season-ending ACL tear hardly eliminates Tech from winning the division or the conference again -- "Beamer Ball" has survived moribund offenses and running back-by-committee with defense, special teams and wholesome turnover margins many, many times before, and it can do it again. A 220-pound, 300-carry, 1,300-yard back was certainly the ideal when I assessed the Hokies' national title odds in May --

After a couple lackluster years in the running game, they discovered redshirt freshman Darren Evans during a Thursday night win over Maryland in early November and rode him (hard: 26 carries per game, for 124 yards) to wins in five of the last six. With a positively grizzled O-line, Evans is exactly the kind of grinder the lo-fi mindset here demands. They should be good for 200 hard-earned yards on the ground, week-in, week-out.


-- but Kenny Lewis and Josh Oglesby can fill in as adequate 3.5-yard grinders while Tyrod Taylor and redshirt freshman Ryan Williams, by far the most hyped back as a recruit, kick in a few big runs as necessary. The situation's really not much different than it was at the start of last year, after two-year starter and 1,000-yard man Branden Ore was booted from the team, and the year still ended with a win in the Orange Bowl.

True, but that sort of rationalization still overlooks the disproportionate effect of Evans' emergence in November -- beginning with his record-breaking, 253-yard romp through Maryland on a Thursday night, off two straight losses, with both starting quarterbacks banged up, it wasn't really the same team down the stretch.http:// Evans went from averaging 65 yards on 16 carries through the first eight games to averaging 124 on 24 carries in the final six, and the Hokies rebounded from fading 5-3 also-rans to BCS winners with a 5-1 finish. He ran the ball at least 24 times in all five of those wins and won Orange Bowl MVP.

In the broader sense, at least as important as Evans' emergence as the centerpiece of the offense is that it meant Tyrod Taylor didn't have to be. For all the hype, Taylor struggled for two years to distance himself from paperweight Sean Glennon and was genuinely dreadful last year when he was forced to throw:

Even if you include his efforts against the I-AA teams, that efficiency rating would not have ranked in the top 100 nationally, mostly because he couldn't find the end zone: A single touchdown in 150 attempts is either rare conservatism, rare inaccuracy downfield or -- as I suspect, and Tech partisans' persistent criticism of offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring suggests -- some combination of both. Either way, sophomores with Taylor's obvious talent and projections are supposed to go sharply in the other direction.

The Hokies got away with an amazingly lackluster effort last year, but three conference losses probably won't do again, and they realistically need to improve to at least 25-26 points per game to facilitate a three-peat. From that perspective, the thought that Taylor and an uninspiring group of receivers might have to take over the role of offensive engine for at least half of the season is pretty sobering, especially considering that the first two months of the schedule include dates with Alabama and Nebraska and all three of the top challengers in the division, Miami, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. That's how long it took for Evans to really emerge as the go-to guy last year, and if it comes down to November again, the ownership of the Coastal may have already changed hands.

Very interesting article. I can't believe they won the ACC with the 99th, 100th, and 103rd ranked offenses. That tells you something bout theleague.

 

[5am6oody72]

Good article except he mentions Kenny Lewis as a possible replacements for Darren Evans. Lewis has been out with injury for some time now, and even if hewasn't would have been buried on the depth chart. Anybody who half pays attention to the program knows that.

And yea, it says something about the conference as well as our defense that we have won the conference so many times with such terrible offenses.

 

[freddymartinez]

i just want the season to start already

 

[Sam Darnold Heisman #8]

newest usc trojan commit

Robert Woods
[table][tr][td]

Photo Gallery

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Athlete
Gardena (CA) Junipero Serra

Ht: 6-foot-1
Wt: 180 lbs
Forty: 4.43 secs
Vertical: 29 inches
Shuttle: 4.45 secs
Class: 2010 (High School)
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[kingjames23]

^
No shock. The weapons around Barkley

Great pick up

 

[juicy j 32]

I can't believe his vert is only 29"

 

[newbs24]

Sounds like Tate is all but locked up as the starting QB. Can throw the ball all day and is really picking up the O. Denard is going to get some burn. When heturns the jets on, he is gone.

Mike Shaw looks explosive and is really starting to push for some carries.

Tay Odoms is still looking good at the slot.

TEs are going to hopefully be featured this year. Koger and Webb are both jumbo athletes that are turning into good football players.

Brandon Herron is the story. Not much doing his first 2 years but GRobs Quick position is a God-send for him. He is really tearing it up out there. His statsat the end of July were 6-2 235lbs. 435lbs bench max with 26 reps of 225. 38inch vert and a 4.48 40. He is an absolute specimen when you look at him but letshope he shows up on Saturdays.

 

[after h0urs]

robert woods

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Looks like Marcus Ball will end up at Memphis after playing at Pearl River CC last year.


[h3]Phil Steele's Toughest Schedule[/h3]posted by Phil Steele on Jul 28, 2009 1:00:00 PM
Discuss This: Comments (22) | TrackBack (0) | Linking Blogs | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it

A few months ago on my website (PhilSteele.com) I gave you all of the toughest schedules using the NCAA method of determining toughest schedules which is last year's record. This method has some major flaws which I have pointed out in my Toughest Schedule article on pages 317 and 318 of the magazine over the past few years (don't have the magazine yet? Log on to PhilSteele.com and order yours today!). I was very proud to be the first to determine those percentages as we put it on the website two days after the last schedule was finalized.

Today I give you the actual toughest schedules for each of this year's teams. A couple of quick examples is that in my toughest schedule ranking LSU, which was 8-5 last year and is a Top 10 team, is graded by their 2009 power rating and not last year's 8-5 record. Using the NCAA method a team like Utah that was 13-0 last year but has just 12 returning starters is graded as a much tougher opponent due to last year's record. Also a IAA (or FCS) team with a winning record from last year is graded to be a much tougher opponent than a team such as Illinois which was 5-7 last year, but is a team I think will be in a Jan bowl. Also Michigan is a legitimate bowl squad this year but you only get credit for playing a weak 3-9 team using last year's record.I go much more in depth in this year's magazine article but here is the
PHIL STEELE'S 2009 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE:
[table][tr][th=""]
[/th] [/tr][tr][td]1[/td] [td]South Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td]2[/td] [td]Florida St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]3[/td] [td]Oklahoma[/td] [/tr][tr][td]4[/td] [td]Mississippi St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]5[/td] [td]Minnesota[/td] [/tr][tr][td]6[/td] [td]Arkansas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]7[/td] [td]Georgia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]8[/td] [td]Virginia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]9[/td] [td]Tennessee[/td] [/tr][tr][td]10[/td] [td]Michigan St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]11[/td] [td]Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]12[/td] [td]Miami, Fl[/td] [/tr][tr][td]13[/td] [td]Virginia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]14[/td] [td]Oklahoma St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]15[/td] [td]Auburn[/td] [/tr][tr][td]16[/td] [td]Washington[/td] [/tr][tr][td]17[/td] [td]USC[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18[/td] [td]Baylor[/td] [/tr][tr][td]19[/td] [td]Texas Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]20[/td] [td]Washington St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]21[/td] [td]LSU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]22[/td] [td]Stanford[/td] [/tr][tr][td]23[/td] [td]Vanderbilt[/td] [/tr][tr][td]24[/td] [td]Arizona[/td] [/tr][tr][td]25[/td] [td]Maryland[/td] [/tr][tr][td]26[/td] [td]Kansas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]27[/td] [td]Georgia Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]28[/td] [td]Iowa[/td] [/tr][tr][td]29[/td] [td]Michigan[/td] [/tr][tr][td]30[/td] [td]Syracuse[/td] [/tr][tr][td]31[/td] [td]Missouri[/td] [/tr][tr][td]32[/td] [td]Indiana[/td] [/tr][tr][td]33[/td] [td]Purdue[/td] [/tr][tr][td]34[/td] [td]Florida[/td] [/tr][tr][td]35[/td] [td]Nebraska[/td] [/tr][tr][td]36[/td] [td]Notre Dame[/td] [/tr][tr][td]37[/td] [td]Wake Forest[/td] [/tr][tr][td]38[/td] [td]UCLA[/td] [/tr][tr][td]39[/td] [td]Ohio St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]40[/td] [td]Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]41[/td] [td]Texas A&M[/td] [/tr][tr][td]42[/td] [td]Illinois[/td] [/tr][tr][td]43[/td] [td]Connecticut[/td] [/tr][tr][td]44[/td] [td]Wyoming[/td] [/tr][tr][td]45[/td] [td]Clemson[/td] [/tr][tr][td]46[/td] [td]Colorado[/td] [/tr][tr][td]47[/td] [td]Boston College[/td] [/tr][tr][td]48[/td] [td]Arizona St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]49[/td] [td]Louisville[/td] [/tr][tr][td]50[/td] [td]North Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td]51[/td] [td]California[/td] [/tr][tr][td]52[/td] [td]Kentucky[/td] [/tr][tr][td]53[/td] [td]Wisconsin[/td] [/tr][tr][td]54[/td] [td]Pittsburgh[/td] [/tr][tr][td]55[/td] [td]Oregon St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]56[/td] [td]UCF[/td] [/tr][tr][td]57[/td] [td]Memphis[/td] [/tr][tr][td]58[/td] [td]Duke[/td] [/tr][tr][td]59[/td] [td]West Virginia[/td] [/tr][tr][td]60[/td] [td]Tulsa[/td] [/tr][tr][td]61[/td] [td]Iowa St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]62[/td] [td]NC State[/td] [/tr][tr][td]63[/td] [td]Kansas St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]64[/td] [td]East Carolina[/td] [/tr][tr][td]65[/td] [td]San Jose St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]66[/td] [td]USF[/td] [/tr][tr][td]67[/td] [td]UAB[/td] [/tr][tr][td]68[/td] [td]Alabama[/td] [/tr][tr][td]69[/td] [td]Rice[/td] [/tr][tr][td]70[/td] [td]Cincinnati[/td] [/tr][tr][td]71[/td] [td]BYU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]72[/td] [td]Penn St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]73[/td] [td]New Mexico[/td] [/tr][tr][td]74[/td] [td]UNLV[/td] [/tr][tr][td]75[/td] [td]FlU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]76[/td] [td]Tulane[/td] [/tr][tr][td]77[/td] [td]Mississippi[/td] [/tr][tr][td]78[/td] [td]Colorado St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]79[/td] [td]Houston[/td] [/tr][tr][td]80[/td] [td]Utah St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]81[/td] [td]Utah[/td] [/tr][tr][td]82[/td] [td]UTEP[/td] [/tr][tr][td]83[/td] [td]Bowling Green[/td] [/tr][tr][td]84[/td] [td]Marshall[/td] [/tr][tr][td]85[/td] [td]Northwestern[/td] [/tr][tr][td]86[/td] [td]Miami, Oh[/td] [/tr][tr][td]87[/td] [td]Navy[/td] [/tr][tr][td]88[/td] [td]TCU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]89[/td] [td]Air Force[/td] [/tr][tr][td]90[/td] [td]SMU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]91[/td] [td]Southern Miss[/td] [/tr][tr][td]92[/td] [td]Fresno St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]93[/td] [td]Louisiana Tech[/td] [/tr][tr][td]94[/td] [td]Nevada[/td] [/tr][tr][td]95[/td] [td]E Michigan[/td] [/tr][tr][td]96[/td] [td]New Mexico St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]97[/td] [td]C Michigan[/td] [/tr][tr][td]98[/td] [td]WKU[/td] [/tr][tr][td]99[/td] [td]Toledo[/td] [/tr][tr][td]100[/td] [td]Hawaii[/td] [/tr][tr][td]101[/td] [td]Louisiana[/td] [/tr][tr][td]102[/td] [td]San Diego St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]103[/td] [td]ULM[/td] [/tr][tr][td]104[/td] [td]Temple[/td] [/tr][tr][td]105[/td] [td]North Texas[/td] [/tr][tr][td]106[/td] [td]Rutgers[/td] [/tr][tr][td]107[/td] [td]Idaho[/td] [/tr][tr][td]108[/td] [td]Arkansas St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]109[/td] [td]Troy[/td] [/tr][tr][td]110[/td] [td]Buffalo[/td] [/tr][tr][td]111[/td] [td]Middle Tenn[/td] [/tr][tr][td]112[/td] [td]N Illinois[/td] [/tr][tr][td]113[/td] [td]Akron[/td] [/tr][tr][td]114[/td] [td]W Michigan[/td] [/tr][tr][td]115[/td] [td]Ball St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]116[/td] [td]Florida Atlantic[/td] [/tr][tr][td]117[/td] [td]Boise St[/td] [/tr][tr][td]118[/td] [td]Army[/td] [/tr][tr][td]119[/td] [td]Ohio[/td] [/tr][tr][td]120[/td] [td]Kent St[/td] [/tr][/table]

 

[gunna get it]

---

[h2]Vols unhappy with initial report on back[/h2]
By Dave #+%@$!, Knoxville News Sentinel
Thursday, August 20, 2009

KNOXVILLE -- The University of Tennessee's athletic department has received the NCAA's initial verdict on freshman tailback Bryce Brown's amateur status and is appealing the ruling.

"That's not a final decision by any measure," athletic director Mike Hamilton said Wednesday of the initial response by the NCAA.

UT officials wouldn't comment on the specifics of the ruling, however, a repayment of any extra benefits Brown may have received when he was in high school and a one- or two-game suspension at UT are possible, but that is considered a worst-case scenario.

UT officials reiterated that the NCAA investigation has nothing to do with the Vols' recruitment of Brown, who was ranked the No. 1 prospect by Rivals.com in 2009. The investigation began early this year, before Brown signed with UT in March.


The eligibility of freshman running back Bryce Brown remains in limbo, and Tennessee is unhappy with an initial NCAA report.

[h6]http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?targetUr...ppeal.com/news/2009/aug/20/ut-appeals-ruling/[/h6]

"There's nobody (NCAA investigators) on campus. ... There never has been anybody on campus regarding this issue."

Two possible violations could have jeopardized Brown's amateur status.

First, where did the funding originate that helped send Brown to tour college campuses when he was at Wichita (Kan.) East High School?

If a prospective college or booster paid to help Brown travel to their campus his amateur status would be at risk.

Second, did Brown receive any extra benefits, such as free training? Brown's mentor in Kansas, Brian Butler, was also a trainer and has been the subject of much scrutiny for his involvement with high school prospects.

Despite rampant media criticism of Butler's role in Brown's recruitment, Hamilton didn't see widespread wrongdoing in the reports he received.

"There's not a big clandestine deal that I can see behind all this in Wichita at all," Hamilton said. "I think it gets highlighted because of the marquee nature of the individual that was recruited in this instance."

That is by design. The NCAA regularly investigates the top prospects in the nation, especially in football and basketball, Hamilton said. Those are the ones most often at risk of having their amateurism compromised.

"They're trying to cut off any problems before they get into college, before they play for two or three years then something comes out," Bertani said.

Brown's awareness of what he may have received could be a factor in UT's appeal. Bertani said it's not unusual to get initial rulings reduced due to mitigating circumstances.

---

 

[dacomeup]

Originally Posted by Newbs24

Sounds like Tate is all but locked up as the starting QB. Can throw the ball all day and is really picking up the O. Denard is going to get some burn. When he turns the jets on, he is gone.

Mike Shaw looks explosive and is really starting to push for some carries.

Tay Odoms is still looking good at the slot.

TEs are going to hopefully be featured this year. Koger and Webb are both jumbo athletes that are turning into good football players.

Brandon Herron is the story. Not much doing his first 2 years but GRobs Quick position is a God-send for him. He is really tearing it up out there. His stats at the end of July were 6-2 235lbs. 435lbs bench max with 26 reps of 225. 38inch vert and a 4.48 40. He is an absolute specimen when you look at him but lets hope he shows up on Saturdays.

Shaw

How is Brandon Moore looking Newbs? Heard he's been underwhelming thus far?

 

[mben32]

Originally Posted by freddymartinez

i just want the season to start already