Allthingsmsu.com

Anyway guys, thought I’d give you Dawgs and Gators something to chew on today. So let’s get to it.

Scout.com talked to Rick Stansbury about this upcoming basketball season. Here are some notes:
-MSU has 4 or 5 dates left to fill on the upcoming schedule. Tourneys in Hawaii and Bahamas.
-Will play VT in the Bahamas over Christmas Break. FSU and Butler will be in same tourney.
-Working on a home and away with USC.
-On Coach Kirby’s departure:  “First off, we will miss Robert Kirby as a dear friend. We have worked together for 16 years. Anytime you work together for 16 years as close we have every day, you are going to miss him. But he felt like it was time for a change and I gave him my blessing, too. In our recruiting, we cross over. Phil Cunningham is involved with all the kids. And we are all involved with all the kids. Marcus Grant will have to step up and do some more things, which he is capable of doing. We’ll mend the fences and find ways to keep going.”
-On the Indoor Practice Facility’s future impact:  “It is very obvious from looking at it it is going to be for everybody, even our fans. That is very special. One of the things we looked at was where could it be put it so that everybody could utilize it. If we had built it off from here, then the fans couldn’t utilize it. But we are putting it where everybody can reach out and touch it. It’s kind of a new front door for the Hump. Our fans will walk through the lobby of it as they come into the Hump. It’s going to be something that is really nice and something that we didn’t just want but needed desperately.”
-On kids leaving the program:  “There are more mistakes made in recruiting because we have less time to watch kids play. That is number 1. Number 2, kids are less patient than they used to be. Kids, when they come to this level, aren’t the best player anymore. That is a hard adjustment for a lot of those kids. There are different levels for everybody. The only thing you should ask a player to be is the best that they can be, don’t try to be something that you aren’t. Be the best you can be whatever that may be and live with it. But again, there is very little patient from that standpoint. With these guys who go to college and after one year go to the NBA, everybody wants to do that now. Everybody wants to be an NBA player, and I wish everybody was. Everybody wants to play 30 minutes a game. But there are only so many minutes in a game. You also have to have guys who are not just willing to play roles but accept those roles. That is the key. You can take a player and put him in a role where he is only going to play 13 or 14 minutes a game. But the key is can you get that player to accept and embrace that role. Those are really difficult roles for kids now-a-days to want to play.”

Chris Low takes a look at turnover ratios in the SEC, UF is on top, but who’s on bottom?

Orlando Sentinel ranks all 120 CFBall teams…some UGA fans don’t like the 64 ranking. Even State is ranked higher.

Finebaum ranks the SEC coaches: Mullen is 9th, but on the rise. Who’s #1? Saban or Meyer, who deserves it more?

T-Town can now boast about being 100,000+ seats strong. Barf!

Auburn news previews Ole Miss.

And don’t worry guys, Erin Andrews is sticking with ESPN. H-O-T-T…tssssss

Tubberville says don’t expect the Big 12 to last.

That’s it boys, enjoy…Whenever Bloguin hurries up, we’ll kick off our previews.

I would share some glances of Scout’s talk with Scott Stricklin, but there’s nothing to report. The whole Q&A was a lot of speculation, not a lot of concrete ideas, and not a lot of clarity. That’s not a poor reflection on the new AD, so don’t be worried there. The talk covered everything from SEC Expansion talk, Stadium and Venue renovations, and the Cowbell issue. But, like I said, no revelations. Kinda wasted my time reading it.

First off, congrats to ex-Bulldog big man Jarvis Varnado! JV was selected 41st overall by the Miami Heat. Not bad, considering he’ll be playing beside Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley. That’s a team that needs a piece here and there, to make the playoffs next season. Maybe JV was one of those pieces.

Onto FOOTBALL. A couple of conversations to recap. Scout.com recently met up with Coach Manny Diaz, Coach Melvin Smith, & Greg Knox. Here’s a look at the three…

Diaz on LB KJ Wright: We moved K.J. Wright to our Will linebacker because we expect a lot of big plays from that position. It’s sort of the nature of that position. K.J. had been a Sam and he was open to the idea of changing positions because there are not a lot of guys who turn down the chance to make big plays. I thought he adjusted well throughout the spring. I thought he played at a high level. But I think he knew coming out of spring that this is it, this is his senior year. I’ll use a basketball metaphor, he has to be the guy that is willing to take the shot at the end of the game for us. On Chris White: We moved Chris White from Will to middle linebacker. And I thought after the first week of spring practice he was one of our best defensive players. He got it and became comfortable in our scheme. He really took a liking to what we asked him to do and was physical and had a knack for making plays. I think he is playing with a lot of confidence. Between he and K.J. we are really expecting big things from them. On the Sam Linebacker position: The Sam linebacker is where we had the closet competition this spring. It’s really the only position where somebody caught somebody else. By the time spring was over, Emmanuel Gatling had caught Cameron Lawrence. Gatling was the starter by the last couple of days of spring practice. But it is so close. The Sam linebacker in our defense is almost a hybrid safety/linebacker type guy. He has to be able to play in space, make tackles in the open field moreso than the other guys. (At the moment, scout reports that Deonte Skinner will back up Wright, Brandon Wilson backs  up White, and Jamie Jones and Michael Hunt will see time at the Sam).

Smith on CB Maurice Langton: I really feel that Maurice Langston got better as an SEC corner. Last year… he had no preparation. He didn’t go through spring ball and he didn’t go through fall camp. We put him in because we were in that situation. But he’s gone through spring ball this year and he is working good. He’s made a lot of improvement. And he’s got talent. I really feel good about him right now. On a scale of 10, he’s probably a 6. But he’s got the potential to be really good. On Johnthan Banks: I like his range. He is long, he is athletic. I told you this last year; I have never had a freshman with his overall talent. He has speed, great ball skills, great hands, he is very competitive, he made a 3+ gpa. He’s the entire package. He’s good on the field, good off the field, he’s a good citizen, he’s tough, he’s a playmaker. Reserves: Louis Watson had a really good spring. Damein Anderson also had a good spring. We beat Ole Miss with Damein, Corey (Broomfield) and Marcus Washington. Damein is a good backup to have. But I’m not assessing Louis and Damein until after September. I have to see them more. They have to show me in a game.

Greg Knox on RB’s Robert Elliot and Vick Ballard: Right now, our top two guys coming out of the spring would be Robert Elliott and Vick Ballard. We are really pleased with Vick, his work ethic, his study habits, he was very attentive in meeting. He really worked at learning the offense, which is big for a junior college guy coming into a new system. I thought he put himself in position to help us in the fall. With (Robert) Elliott, I saw a lot of things that I hadn’t seen out of him, things that we needed to see. He looks like a kid that could have a really good fall, kind of coming into his own. With him playing with Anthony Dixon and not having to carry the load really helped him to learn a lot. I think he is now really ready for the role to be the guy. I see he and Ballard as two guys who put themselves in a position to play and share equal time. Backups: You have LaDarius Perkins and Montrell Conner, two freshmen. The biggest thing with Conner was his setback due to his knee injury. That cost him to miss about five days of practice, which hurt him tremendously. He’s still playing catch-up on the mental part of the game. When he gets the mental part of the game, he’ll play a lot faster. Perkins had a good spring and showed signs of being very production and showed signs of being a home run hitter. There are certain ways that we will try to use him in our offense. I think he has put himself in position to get some playing time. Fullbacks: I am very, very pleased with the fullback position. I like our experience and our depth. Patrick Hanrahan and Sylvester Hemphill are the top two right now. They are two kids with tremendous knowledge of the system. They really played well this spring. I think the winter conditioning program helped them. They are really, really good players. Back in the old days, they would be your true I fullback. Anytime you can get two really good players like they are as walk-ons, that is just unbelievable. They are co-starters.

That’s all I got today. I know it’s short and brief, and without any opinion offering from me, but I’m tired! But, I’ll post tomorrow night on how I feel about each.

Just wondering what yall thought of how we are shaping up at each of these positions?

Btw, welcome back Buzzard! We missed ya…Tell us about the experience.

On Chris Smith: ”Coming out of spring, the Z starter was Chris Smith. He had a solid spring and continues to improve. His body has developed and he is a lot leaner. (Head strength) Coach (Matt) Balis has done a really great job trimming him up. He has big, strong hands. He needs to increase his speed just a little, but he runs good route. He has a chance to be a solid player for us this fall.”  On Bumphis:  “Chad Bumphis is our starter at H. He had a really good fall, although he started just a little slow. But I felt, as the season wore on, he really became more confident and finished extremely, extremely strong. He showed that he has play-making ability, good hands and real good acceleration. He’s a guy that we need to try and get the ball to because he is a guy who can make some plays and make some things happen for us offensively.”  On Leon Berry:  “Leon Berry is the starter at the X position. He has a lot of talent, good speed and runs good routes. I’m still hoping to see a little more maturity, a little more leadership out of him due to him being a senior. But he has the ability to be a really good receiver in this league. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns last year, so we know he is a really good kick and punt returner with good hands.”  Besides those 3, who stood out: Before he got hurt, Sam Williams was out next best wide receiver. He’s expected back by (preseason) camp. We just have to wait and see how productive he will be with his knee.”  Others: “We also have two other guys who really need to come on that are battling it out for that next position at either X or Z, Ricco Sanders and Arceto Clark. Clark showed some flashes that he may be able to help us.”  On Brandon Heavens:  “Brandon Heavens is a guy who will have to help us. He’ll have to give Bumphis some rest. He’s gotten a little bit bigger. The main problem he had last year was he was light. Due to that, it was hard for him to be an every down player. He has beefed up, got more confident and understands the offense a little better.”  On Charles Bailey:  “Charles Bailey, at times, has showed that he might be able to step up and help us. He was a little bit distracted this spring and that set him back a little bit. He works hard and he is a very good young man with a great attitude. That is what I like about him.”

Keep in mind, that WR’s Malcom Johnson, Robert Johnson, Micheal Carr, and Matthew Wells are among that incoming class.

Anyway, in other news, did yall hear about the Ninja Greg Byrne’s dad cussing out an Aggie alumni. Apparently it was all caught on a phone recorder, after Bill Byrne had been bothered by comments and an email sent to him by the fan. The comments are said to have been related to the Aggie outrage over the school not joining the SEC. The recording made it’s way to youtube, before being removed yesterday.

Finebaum went after Arkansas once again. For some reason, he doesn’t hold back when roasting the Hogs. He refers to Arkansas as a loser when it came to the conference expansion winners/losers. Here’s a clip:  “Would someone tell the Little Piggies to shut up?  After media reports surfaced that Arkansas tried but failed to get hooked up as the 11th team in the new 10-team Big 12, the school decided to go on the offensive.  Stealing a page from BP’s public relations playbook, athletic director Jeff Long issued a long and self-serving statement, saying the school “has no interest” in leaving the SEC.  There’s a reason for that — nobody wants you.”  I hate them, so no tears here.

Pre-Snap posted their story on MSU’s upcoming football season. State is ranked #73 in their eyes, with another 5-7 year, but with a BRIGHT future. Nice read. You might see my comments on Veazey at bottom. Some guy from Meridian was going nuts over him. Also here’s a list of the site’s 5 likes/5 dislikes about MSU this year.

Peyton Manning is standing up for Dooley. Patience please.

Jerrell Po, sorry Poe, ahhhh…Powe, is #10 on Chris Low’s list of the SEC’s top 25 players. No State players yet, but I did send him an email asking why, while at the same time including my critique of Ole Miss’ front 7. Powe:  “Miami, is just right over the bridge in Pensacola.”

The Nagurski and Outland prospects trophy lists are in. SEC dominant.

Auburn news previews LSU’s 2010 team.

Brad Locke on Jarvis Varnado and the NBA draft. They are saying late first-mid 2nd rounder.

And for those who thought that the Big 12 wasn’t headed for disaster, and almost packing up its’ best teams for the Pac 10, here’s the reality.

Not too busy of a weekend in sports really, but a couple of things MSU arose. First and foremost, Rick Stansbury lost one heck of a bench coach Robert Kirby. After 12 years of aiding Stans on the sidelines, Kirby is headed to Georgetown to assist John Thompson III. I don’t know about yall, but in my mind, this only hurts State. The relationships he had with the players, his in-game input, and the amount of professionalism he brought to the table is almost irreplaceable. That may seem like an exaggeration to some, but Kirby has a bright future as a head coach, and his trek to G Town will only help pave the way. My question to you guys, is how does this effect MSU Basketball from here on out? Will State suffer from his absence, considering Kirby has had a strong history of building relationships with players (keep in mind, the struggles Stans has had in the past to keep players at MSU) ? Things could get sticky this season, thanks to the departures of 2 big time leaders on the court, the remaining tension between Ravern Johnson and Stansbury, and how this team will react to a whole new look on offense. Not only that, but now Kirby- who was probably going to coach, tutor, and mentor Renardo Sidney, is gone. Just sayin’. Your thoughts?

Don’t know if yall saw Chris Low’s blog on Friday, but he claims that Ole Miss has the BEST front 7 on defense, in the SEC. Low quickly shoved aside UF and Bama, and crowned the 2010 Rebels as #1. Now, not just because its Ole Miss, but I couldn’t disagree more. Better than Bama? 2009′s total D- ranked 2nd. Rushing D- ranked 2nd. Pass D- ranked 10th. Scoring D- ranked 2nd. Passing Effeciency Defense- ranked 2nd. Now, the Tide does return only 1 starter, but everyone who will start in 10′ saw major action last year. And ask yourself a realistic question, can you really see Ole Miss’ D being better than Bama’s this year? Now, to UF, is Ole Miss better than the Gators? Rushing D- ranked 12th. Pass D- ranked 1st. Scoring D- ranked 4th.  Passing Effeciency Defense- ranked 6th. The Gators return 5 starters on D, and the 10′ starters will be made up of plenty of Jr’s and Sr’s, just as Bama’s will be. Can you see Ole Miss’ D being better than UF’s this year? Ole Miss, does return the most starters on D, between these 3 teams with 6. Names you know well from the past 2 seasons will fill the Rebel front 7, a very talented bunch, but not the #1 group. I would say they are top 5 among the SEC front 7′s, probably top 3, but not leading the pack. The Rebs did rank in the top 15, or around it, in many defensive categories in 2009, but when you consider what the front 7 is mostly responsible for (the running game), the Rebs ranked 58th. A far cry from 12th or 2nd. Low and Reb fans are claiming that Ole Miss’ strength is the return of 5 starters in that front 7, but if that same bunch is the same group who gave up 317 yards on the ground to MSU last year, crowning them is a bit premature. I’m not knocking them because they are Ole Miss, but by 3/4 of the way through the year, this will be clear-they are not better than UF or Bama. They are very talented though. While we are at it, I think State’s D will finish in the SEC top 5 this year…but that’s for down the road.

Brad Locke did an article on the MSU secondary, here’s some notes: State returns Sophomore Corey Broomfield (6 picks, 2 td’s), Johnthan Banks (4 picks, 2 td’s), and Charles Mitchell (4 picks, 1 td). MSU ranked 11th in the SEC in pass defense (64th nationally), at a rate of 220 ypg. There’s no doubt that the problem we suffered from last year, was giving up the big one. Manny Diaz:  “You cannot be a good defense and give up big plays. It’s simply impossible.”  I completely agree Coach Manny, and I think the starters we have coming back, the move of Banks to corner, and an entirely new defense that is not of the  ‘reactionary’  kind that Torbush installed last year-but of the attacking style, will fit our D perfectly. 

BL also did a story on the career and future career of MSU RB Robert Elliot. Elliot has suffered his share of injuries at State, and at times we’ve heard the complaints from his position coaches and Off. Coordinators, that Elliot wasn’t doing the small things that equal more playing time. I myself have been upset with him as well, but you can’t blame him for injuries, or for having to compete with Anthony Dixon. Elliot did carry for 221 yds last year on 44 scampers, but we are all waiting to see the  ‘true’   #8 RB in the entire country, that we recruited. What are yalls’ feelings about Elliot thus far, and what his future holds?

That’s all for today…Btw, headed to Boston on Thursday, and will be at Fenway for the Sox and Rays on next Tuesday night.

I still wonder what Favre will do, during his time at State?

As we mentioned a few days ago, Nickoe Whitley has apparently emerged as one of our starting safeties on defense. Here’s an article on him from the Clarion Ledger. Manny Diaz on Nickoe:  “He was a guy in the spring who just every practice, you walk off the field and he had made some sort of big play. After a while you say, ‘OK, he did something nice.’ But then you start to realize that’s a trend.”

Kind of a quiet deal if you are not in Hog Country, but Arkansas claims that they are comfortable as can be in the SEC…darn…this comes after the school received numerous invites from other conferences-just recently.

Chris Low has his on-going list of the top 25 players in the SEC. Here’s #13, and if you read below the write-up on LSU’s Shephard, there’s a list of the other 12 that have been named. No Dawgs make the list.

UF picks up their 6th committment for their 2011 season.

Lakers top the Celtics last night, did yall watch? I forgot…But, Kobe is gonna possibly surpass the accomplishments of Jordan.

And most importantly today…USA! USA! USA! Beat Slovenia. Germans play today too. Should be a good day of futbol. Have fun Buzzard!

Jarvis Varnado, former MSU Bulldog and college basketball’s all-time shot blocker, is undergoing NBA workouts. Recently, JV worked out with the Milwaukee Bucks. Here’s what they had to say about the MSU star: “He’s a guy we’ve looked at his entire year at Mississippi State this year, as well as his entire career. (He’s) a very good shot blocker, a good athlete, and he is a little raw offensively, so he’d be a good complementary player to some of the guys we have in our lineup right now. I think it’d be a stretch for us to say that we’d look at him for 15. But he could go late in the first round or possibly early second round.”

With the recent shuffle of a FEW teams out west, Chris Low made note that the SEC is full of some  ‘Un-Touchable Rivalries”…these are listed from best to last of the rivalries. Of all the times that I disagree with Low, I like his list…Egg Bowl at 3rd. Low also gave some reasons why:
1. Alabama vs. Auburn: The Iron Bowl is the measuring stick for all rivalries.
2. Florida vs. Georgia: The catchy nickname is no longer politically correct, but still …
3. Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss: It’s safe to say that Dan Mullen has spiced up the Egg Bowl.
4. Alabama vs. Tennessee: The Third Saturday in October (or even the fourth Saturday) is one of those games that defines the SEC.
5. Alabama vs. LSU: There have been so many epic games between these two old foes that they run into each other.
6. Auburn vs. Georgia: The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry has been played every year that didn’t conflict with a world war since 1892.
7. Georgia vs. Tennessee: Herschel Walker introduced himself to the college football world in this rivalry, which picked up steam when the SEC went to divisional play. 8. LSU vs. Ole Miss: There was a certain punt return on Halloween night a half century ago that still resonates when these two teams get together (My distant cousin btw, that’s mine, not Chris Low’s).
9. Florida vs. Tennessee: In the 1990s, this was one of the hottest rivalries in the country, even though the Gators have dominated.
10. Georgia vs. South Carolina: These two border rivals were going at it even before the Gamecocks joined the SEC.- [All from Chris Low]

UT having trouble selling season tickets.

SEC players continue to rack up DUI’s!  UF receiver Frankie Hammond and Ark‘s fullback Van Stumon, make the most recent list.

Bama’s statue of Nick Saban, will be added to the Walk of Champions in T-Town. What’s the bible say about idols?

Finebaum, like me the other day, says kudos to aTm for standing up to Texas for a little while.

When Bama sucks their thumbs, look for a Vol close by doing the same. Schedule crap.

That’s it boys…

Scout.com caught up with Off. Coordinator Les Koenning, Def. Coordinator Chris Wilson, and Safeties Coach Tony Hughes and they covered variety of topics. Here’s a look at the chat…

Koenning On Relf’s Improvement: Chris has improved his throwing. His reads, progressions, footwork, grasping concepts have all improved. I want him to keep progressing, not only on the field but off the field, too, as a leader. He’s not a big vocal leader. But I think that has improved because his confidence has improved. There is a lot of trust in that position. On what might surprise MSU fans this fall: I think the biggest thing will be his execution. Last year, when we had Tyson Lee and Chris, Tyson could get everybody lined up, put them in the right position, make the checks and get everything done. Chris was still in a learning process. He was worried about Chris. He wasn’t worried about where Anthony Dixon lined up. He was just trying to make sure he was lined up correctly. Now, he knows what he is doing and he can now progress. Koenning’s thoughts on Russell: Tyler is learning our system. He’s about where Chris was last year. The biggest thing with Tyler and he’ll laugh about this but every time I was around Tyler he said, ‘I got it, I got it,’ then, when he got in he didn’t have it. That’s the mental aspect of it. This spring he started off really good but by the end of the spring he really started to grasp things. You could say he really started understanding it. Once you can figure out what to do and how to do it, then the third part is why did you do it? Chris has learned what to do, how to do it and is learning why we did it. Tyler is learning what we do and how we do it, but he doesn’t understand why we are doing it in the learning process. I’m not saying Chris has all the whys down but he’s farther along than Tyler in that area. Comfort level with Russell in the game: If everything was perfect you would want to play him in every game to give him experience. That way, if Chris should get hurt, you would like to have him in the game. We did the same thing with Chris last year. We would play him a few plays or a series. And we knew the plays that Chris could run and felt comfortable running. We will do the same thing with Tyler. We wouldn’t put him in the situations where we say here’s the playbook, let’s go. We want to progress with him. We were very fortunate to redshirt him last year. It wouldn’t have been real pretty to play him but we would have learned with him. Russell’s running ability: He’s taken the fact that people say he can’t run as a challenge. He wants to show you that he can. That is a good attribute to have. But the concern with that is when they start running they aren’t used to getting hit a lot and ball security becomes a concern. There were a couple of times last year we didn’t put Chris in the game because we didn’t want the ball on the ground. We knew Tyson would take care of the football. Now, we feel a lot more comfortable with Chris and he feels more comfortable with himself as well.

Co-Def. Coordinator Chris Wilson’s feelings on McPhee: He is very talented. When I mean talented, I mean he is very instinctive. He’s one of those guys that you don’t have to tell him too much. He is also very strong at the point of contact in the running game. He’s very physical in that regard. He’s almost 280 pounds but still runs like he is 260 pounds. He is also a pretty good pass-rusher. And I think with our new style of play where we are in a more attack front, instead of having 5 or 6 sacks like he had a year ago there is a possibility that he could double those numbers if he plays up to his ability. He is no different than the kids that we coached at Oklahoma or the kids they had at Florida. He’s that kind of guy. The biggest thing is how quickly he grasps this system. He also had to get used to my style of coaching. And I think we are getting used to each other. On others competing on the D-Line: We really have three candidates – Sean Ferguson who has played in games for us, Nick Bell is a guy who has played and has experience, and Shane McCardell who hasn’t been a player at this point in his career, but from an athletic standpoint and a physical standpoint he might be the most prototypical guy. We just have to get the learning curve up for him in regard to playing at an SEC level. I think, as he continues taking reps, that is going to happen for him. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but he is really fast. On Nick Bell: The biggest thing for Nick is him getting comfortable in our scheme. Basically, just turning loose. I think the more someone does something the better they become. And Nick is really that way. He’s a guy who wants to do it right and really works at it. We just have to get him comfortable in our new system and with our coaching style. On Ferguson: He’s got a lot of tools. He’s athletic. He’s a natural knee-bender. He can change directions. And another thing we believe he gives us is a really good pass-rusher. On McKenzie: One thing I like about Johnathan is his tremendous motor He is relentless. He plays at a high effort level. And he’s very strong. He’s a guy who I could see, at some point after being in our system, being a Pernell McPhee type guy. He’s long and athletic. On Eulls: I had a chance to evaluate him at Oklahoma. We knew about him and we offered him a scholarship at Oklahoma. From that standpoint, we know he has some physical tools that can help us. We’ll see how he does as well as see how (signees) Curtis Virges and Jeff Howie do. And another one we have is Trevor Stigers The jury hasn’t come in on him yet. What about D Tackles: One guy who really stood out was Devin Jones. While he’s not a big guy, we will take quickness and speed over size. And he’s a very physical guy who is very productive. And you also have to look at the two guys who have been here. Josh Boyd had a tremendous spring. He is strong and very competitive. And he picked up the fundamentals probably as quick as anybody. Then there is Fletcher Cox who is a tremendous talent. I rank his talent up there with guys like (Ndamukong) Suh, Gerald McCoy. He’s that kind of physically talented guy. And there is also James Carmon. As the spring progressed, he really started becoming what we thought he could be. He is a big space-eater who is athletic. The more reps he can get and the more we can get him into shape to play this style, the more likely he can really help our ballclub.

And finally, Tony Hughes on who’s the two #1′s at safety positions: We’ll start off with Charles Mitchell, who is one of the leaders of our football. He’s a quiet leader who is not a rah-rah, in-your-face type guy. Every time you do a drill or do something involving the team he’s the first in line. He just has a great passion for football. He’s just a good, solid football player. He improved greatly during the spring. Charles has a tremendous, tremendous work ethic. He is a good tackler. He had some key interceptions during the season. Of course, he had two interceptions against Ole Miss. We expect him to be one of the most improved players on the entire team. And not only that but our new defensive scheme fits him because he is a 5-11, 205-pound kid who can really run. He’ll be in man coverage, he’ll play in space, he’ll be blitzing. Wade Bonner will back Mitchell up: This is Wade Bonner’s second year to play in the secondary. He played a lot for us last year and played in a lot of games. He was a productive player who also plays on special teams. He has improved a lot, lost some weight that helped him to be more functionally. And I thought he had a really solid spring for us. Nickoe Whitley is the other starting safety. He is a redshirt freshman who came into the spring and kept making play after play after play. He’s a very physical kid who is very thick. He’s over 6-0 tall and 200 pounds. He’s got speed and is very athletic ability. He has good ball skills. He was a high school quarterback at Provine. And he was a high school basketball player, also. He can really hit. He’s not afraid to throw his body around. He’s a true SEC safety. He just has to learn what to do from an experience standpoint. But as far as physical talent, he’s a very, very talented young man. Dennis Thames will back Whitley up: Dennis Thames is a kid that we redshirted last year. He redshirted at wide receiver and we moved him over in the spring. He had a really good spring game, make a lot of tackles. He’s a very good tackler. As far as his development, he just hasn’t spent the time at safety that the other kids have. But as far as physical talent, he can do some things that will Wow you. He is a very aggressive tackler, a very good football player. We just lost some time with him and we are trying to help him catch up. Right now, going into the season, he will be a backup for us and a special teams guy. On Johnthan Banks move: We moved Johnthan Banks to corner, although there is a possibility that he may come back to safety. But we really haven’t talked about that. The thing about him at corner is he can take half the field. He’s 6-2 and has long arms. He has some things that a lot of football players don’t have. He’s special.

What do you Dawg fans think of Banks’ move to corner back, instead of staying at safety?

What are your true feelings on the Aggies joining, within the context of others joining?

If aTm joins and Okl doesn’t, where does SEC turn?

What now? As you’ve heard by now, Nebraska has been invited to join the Big 10, and will meet with Commissioner Jim Delany today. And, I think they will. If Nebraska does, then I look for Mizzou. If Mizzou leaves, then I see the 4 Texas schools bolting and completing the Pac 10′s dream scenario of 16 teams. As for OU and OK State? I can’t say. But to me, Nebraska is just as much of a cornerstone as Texas and Oklahoma are made out to be, and would leave the same iconic void in the Big 12. We’ll all see how it shakes out today, but everything is in place. If yall remember former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer, who was in charge when the SEC expanded to 12 back in 1992, he thinks that Mizzou will follow the Corn Born Nation, and that they Big 10 would eventually turn their attention to the East coast. Kramer actually pointed out Syracuse and Rutgers as target teams. If that happens, and teams begin to be picked from the Big East, Kramer says  “I think the SEC cherry picks West Virginia and then adds Florida State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech from the ACC. And the ACC grabs some of the Big East leftovers.” 

All I know is that I am interested…I’m a traditionalist, and an almost conference purist, but I know one thing, I don’t want the SEC to wait til the last second to claim some great teams. Can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.

In other good news, USC finally got what was coming to them.  “The NCAA hammered USC with sanctions on Thursday, as the Trojans were banned from postseason play for two seasons, lost 30 scholarships over the next three years and must vacate all wins from December 2004 — the BCS title game included — through the entirety of the 2005 season.  USC was cited for a lack of institutional control, impermissible inducements, extra benefits, exceeding coach staff limits and unethical conduct by a coach. Because of violations in 2001, the program also was considered a “repeat violator.”-  by way of ESPN. The fact is, USC is a bunch of crooks and Pete Carroll was the crime boss. We watched his teams dominate at times, sick to our stomachs to see his arrogant smirk after every touchdown, knowing full well that a lot of those on the field were playing for MORE than the heart and passion of the beloved college sport. From the boosters, to the players, to the recruiters, to the coaches, enjoy it, you DESERVE it all. Sometimes, the NFL pipeline fills up with poop.  And having Lane Kiffin there to try and clean up the mess…priceless.

Phil Steele has listed his 25 Toughest schedules in the country, and 7 SEC teams make the list. MSU is highest on the list at #4. Last year we were #1.

Here’s a comparison of Spurrier and Meyer’s careers at UF.

Looks like LSU is not going to lose their huge signee to the Dodgers. Zach Lee chooses football.

SEC coach’s records vs their 3 biggest rivals? Click here.

Speaking of schedules earlier, I have a Make or Break list of games for 2010:

(1) Sept.9, MSU vs Auburn: Both teams chance to tuck away their first conference win, and make a statement.
(2) Sept. 25, Bama vs Arkansas: HUGE game for both teams. Statement game written all over this one.
(3) Sept. 11, UGA vs South Carolina: UGA is not top 20 material, and we’ll see it on this day.
(4) Sept. 4, UK vs Louiseville: Joker Phillip’s will try and set the tone. The Cats need a good start.
(5) Sept. 18, Vandy vs Ole Miss: Vandy will have 2 tough ones to start the season, TSUN will have 2 cupcakes. Will Dores be more prepared?
(6) Sept. 18, MSU vs LSU: If Dawgs win, MSU is on right track. LSU loses, Miles will be on his way out if he’s 1-2 at that point.
(7) Sept. 18, UF vs UT: Dooley gets a chance to just prove his team is competitive. Don’t have to win, just show that you have a pulse. Could get very ugly…

More to come on that topic, that 7 for today.

Enjoy boys…

In case you missed it, Paul Finebaum asked his readers and listeners if they thought Arkansas and South Carolina have  ‘dragged’  down the SEC, since the 2 schools joined back in 1992. In his own words:  “As for Arkansas and South Carolina, have they brought anything to the table?  Not much, unless you consider taking up space a major accomplishment. Since 1992, when the league expansion went into effect, has either Arkansas or South Carolina really brought anything to the dance?  Instead of expanding by two or four, some have wondered if a better way of handling this would be addition by subtraction — starting with sending Arkansas and South Carolina back where they came from.”-  That’s some pretty strong English if you ask me. My assessment: It escapes a lot of people, but USC has never really accomplished anything in the history of their athletics. They have traditionally done nothing. Since joining the SEC, their basketball and football teams are competitive (but usually underachieve), and their baseball team is usually in the national rankings. As for Arkansas, just like everybody else in the West…oops, except one team (TSUN), have made it to Atlanta in football, their baseball is continually ranked, and Bud Walton Arena still remains a tough place to win on the hardwood. I hate Arkansas with a passion, but have to say they bring a lot more to the table than USC. Hate em’, but need em’. Your thoughts on both schools?

What did Urban Meyer do this Spring to recover from his Stressful fall? Wakeboarding? With Carwest?

Did you know that Meyer has UF 12-3 vs Top 10 competition during his tenure?

Bruce Pearl feels the way I do, about bballers staying in school for 2 years.

Around the country, conference expansion talks that seemed to be laughed at  just months ago, are indeed a REALITY…Kansas’ chancellor spent yesterday begging Nebraska and Mizzou to stay in the Big 12. If the Huskers and Tigers bolt to the Big 10, then it appears that KU and Colorado may be headed to the Mountain West. I was talking to Andrson yesterday, and I agree with what he heard on ESPN radio, that Notre Dame might hold the key to this all. It’s as if all the conferences are playing a game of Jenga, and ND could either take the safe pull at the top, or pull the foundation out from underneath College sports. Joining the Big 10 (really the Big 11), would solidify the Big 10 with 12 teams, make way for a conference championship game (which the Big 11 needs to anyway and man up!), and with the power that ND has, they could request that the Big 10 would expand no further than themselves. If that happens, KU, Colorado, Mizzou, and Nebraska could stay put, along with the 4 Texas schools, and all us traditionalists can sleep at night. I also think that there are a lot of conferences who are TIRED of waiting on ND, just like I am, who will do whatever they want. Who knows? Your thoughts? Does ND hold the key to all of this?

Former MSU Diamond Dawgs- Connor Powers got drafted by the Padres (21st rd), and Jet Butler got drafted by the Mets (26th rd).

And how about Strasburg last night for the Nats! Kid is gonna be a good one!

That’s it…