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Arizona State Football has done a good job in recruiting this offseason. Coach Todd Graham and company have made a marked improvement over past years, but it's still nothing to write home about.

Here is where their class ranks on the three major recruiting sites:

Scout.com—No. 7 in the Pac-12, No. 29 in the nation.

Rivals.com—No. 6 in the Pac-12, No. 29 in the nation. 

247Sports.com—No. 6 in the Pac-12, No. 35 in the nation.

The Devils have bulked up considerably on the defensive side of the ball and are only one of two schools in the Pac-12 with more defensive recruits than offensive. They also have the second-most junior college players in the Top 50 schools according to Scout.com with nine. The University of Kansas is first with 16.

When Arizona State began the 2012 season, they were thin at the wide receiver position after losing three of their top receiving targets in Gerrell Robinson, Aaron Pflugrad and Mike Willie. The 2012 season saw the top three leaders in receptions were not wide receivers. To add insult to injury, the top wide receivers on the team graduated after the 2012 season.

 

This was a glaring hole to fill for Coach Graham and he went out and received commitments from four 3-star receivers and two additional tight ends including the No. 14 ranked player in Arizona—Grant Martinez.

Priority filled. 

Another concern for the Devils after the 2012 season was in the secondary and at the linebacker position since three excellent starters finished their careers at Arizona State. Looking to replace linebacker Brandon Magee will be tough, but Coach Graham went all out and received commitments from two 4-star linebackers including the No. 3 ranked recruit in Arizona—Chans Cox.

Priority filled. 

Filling out the secondary was also a priority with Keelan Johnson and Deveron Carr leaving, but once again, the Sun Devils went out and received four 3-star commits including two safeties and two corners. Will Earley is the No. 55 cornerback in the country while Jayme Otomewo is the No. 56 safety.

Priority filled. 

 

The defensive line for Arizona State is the strongest that it has ever been with Will Sutton returning for his senior season. Jaxon Hood, Davon Coleman and Junior Onyeali are also studs on the defensive line. It was amazing to see that such great talent committed to the Sun Devils even though that is the area that is the deepest. It's great to see 4-star Junior College transfer Marcus Hardison as well as two other 3-star recruits.  

Priority exceeded.

Lastly, the one area that needed help was the offensive line. With the graduation of starters Andrew Sampson and Brice Schwab, the right side of the line is open. A couple of early signees in Nick Kelly and Josh Tremblay made it seem like the offensive line would be fine.

 

Add into the mix that Christian Westerman, the No.1 recruit in the state of Arizona in 2011, has returned home to play for Arizona State. Westerman left for Auburn to play for Gene Chizik but left amidst the controversy involving possible NCAA sanctions and the departure of Chizik. If Auburn is levied with sanctions, Westerman could be in the clear to start in 2013 for the Devils.

Recently, Tremblay decommitted from Arizona State and Coach Graham went out and recruited 3-star defensive end Jack Powers to come over to the offensive side of the ball. If Westerman is cleared to play for the Devils, the offensive line recruiting class could be considered filled, but as it stands right now, the only new recruits brought in are Powers and Kelly, with Kelly playing center.

What is perhaps more troubling is that the Devils aren't in the hunt for any additional help on the line, so it looks as if they are putting their hopes on Westerman playing or they feel that veterans Vi Teofilo and Sil Ajawara will be immediate plugs on the right side of the line.

Priority pending. 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Arizona State Football has done a good job in recruiting this offseason. Coach Todd Graham and company have made a marked improvement over past years, but it's still nothing to write home about...

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After the Senior Bowl and his performance at the wide receiver position, Denard Robinson is still a mystery at the next level. The former Michigan Wolverine flashed and showed some potential, but ultimately did little to prove that he can be a wide receiver in the NFL.

As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report said:

The real question is not so much "where" Robinson is going to play. Rather, it's how much patience an NFL team—and Robinson himself—have with what looks to be a very difficult process.

Playing in the NFL is hard, and that's for guys who have spent their entire life training to play just one position. The transition both physically and mentally is a tremendous step. The game is faster, the players are stronger and they are professionals in every sense of the word. It is their job to be better than their opponent, and they take that quite seriously. 

Coaches expect more out of players at the next level. They are not there to teach you how to play football; they are paid to harness the skills players have and maximize production. In the league, they coach little things. They tweak. All of the major work is supposed to be done, and the coaches are there to put the finishing touches on a top-shelf athlete.

Denard Robinson is certainly a top-shelf athlete. Odds are, he will prove that at the combine in February. However, the speedy quarterback-turned-wide-receiver is a guy with more than just "little tweaks" to be made to his game. This is not a guy who needs some paint—he's a full-blown renovation project. 

So, for Robinson, it all boils down to finding a coach and general manager willing to give him the time to grow. That means don't expect the project player to end up somewhere that has a coach and/or general manager on the proverbial hot seat. For those rooting for Robinson to succeed, the best bet will be a place with stability and a track record of being patient.

Next up for Denard is the combine, where he will try to show that he's progressed in his route-running and catching abilities. He's a wide receiver now, and posting good numbers in the 40, the cone drills and the shuttles will go a long way toward making coaches get comfortable taking on the risk.

Where is Robinson going to play? He'll be a wide receiver for a GM and a coach who fall in love with his potential. The beauty of the NFL is that it only takes one guy to like you for a player to get a shot at their dream. Thanks to the raw skills Robinson brings to the table, someone is going to pick him.

The transition won't be an easy one. If Armanti Edwards has taught us anything, it is that changing competition levels and positions is no small task. The odds are stacked against Denard Robinson, but we'll see if he can make the leap.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The traditional powers are always on the top of the recruiting scene. However, there are always a couple schools that manage to surprise college football nation by stealing a few of the top prospects. Let's look at two of those schools with the best odds to have a top class this year:

Ole Miss

The Rebels already have a great new batch of recruits on the way, but there are two more available for them that would make their class amongst the best in the nation.

The consensus No. one overall prospect, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, is deciding between Ole Miss, LSU and Florida. However, his mother wants him to play with his brother Denzel at Ole Miss. It’s difficult to see Nkemdiche going against the wishes of his family, which is why Ole Miss is the favorite to land him.

The Rebels also hope to land safety Antonio Conner. Conner, according to ESPN recruiting rankings, is the second-best safety prospect in the nation. Nearly all of the SEC schools have interest in him, but it seems like the race is down to Alabama and Ole Miss.

However, it looks like the Rebels may have the upper hand. That’s because his friend, running back Kailo Moore, has stated that he and Conner will be attending the same school. Moore has already committed to Ole Miss, and it seems like Conner will follow shortly.

Additionally, Ole Miss can guarantee Conner more playing time early on, which has to be intriguing considering Conner definitely has the talent to play right away.

UCLA

Even though USC is making more noise (in more ways than one) with their recruiting on the other side of town, the Bruins may be able to steal a couple of prospects on signing day. Coach Jim Mora has shown that he is a strong recruiter, and that UCLA is trending upwards.

Former USC commit Kylie Fitts, a defensive end from California, is now eying the Bruins. Fitts apparently doesn’t trust the USC coaching staff, especially after giving his early enrollment spot to Leon McQuay III.

Fitts would be a better fit in UCLA’s 3-4 defensive scheme because of his constant ability to pressure the quarterback with his quickness. Fitts also has a sibling that attends UCLA, so the family factor could be the icing on the cake.

UCLA is also in a race with Texas A&M for linebacker Isaac Savaiinaea. The middle linebacker has great size and is an imposing tackler. The reason why I think UCLA will sign him is because Texas A&M already has six middle linebacker commits. If Savaiinaea wants the opportunity to separate himself on the depth chart, he’ll choose the Bruins.

Finally, the best prospect UCLA has their sights on is defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes. Although it’s unlikely that the former USC commit will return to Los Angeles, Vanderdoes has shown interest in becoming a Bruin. He’s made a visit to the campus and he likes the staff.

If Vanderdoes shocks the recruiting world by choosing UCLA over Alabama, that would be the biggest piece in their class.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Michigan's 2013 recruiting class got its crown jewel on Saturday when 5-star tailback Derrick Green verbally committed to the Wolverines. With national signing day just days away, it's extremely unlikely that Green will renege on his commitment; he had also been considering Tennessee and Auburn.

So, now the question becomes what Green's addition to the 2013 Wolverines does to the offense as a whole. Sure, he might redshirt. He also might start. The talent's there. 

Assuming Green makes it onto campus and on the field without incident, he's going to be in the mix at running back, and that is not a very crowded scene.

Vincent Smith is gone to graduation, and Fitz Toussaint's future for 2013 is still in doubt. Past that, there's just Thomas Rawls and Justice Hayes in terms of running backs who saw any action in 2013, while Drake Johnson redshirted in 2012. DeVeon Smith is another tailback recruit in this class; Johnson and Smith both earned only three stars, per Rivals.

Michigan struggled mightily at tailback in 2012. The Wolverine rushing attack was 41st in the nation in yardage, but without Denard Robinson and all his non-traditional running friends, the backfield was a mess. All in all, Michigan's running backs accounted for only 933 yards rushing in 2012, with a meager 3.84 yards per carry to show for it.

And again, Fitz Toussaint may not be ready for action come September. So there's some serious potential for immediate playing time for Green.

Green is a big body at tailback—he's currently listed as 6'0" and 220 pounds—but the kid is fast, even if it's not immediately noticeable on film.

He has a straightforward running style that practically invites contact within the first 10 yards, making that speed less of a factor, but pay special attention to the runs at 1:10, 2:00 and 7:15 in the following video. You'll see some bad pursuit angles. Those are functions of Green's speed taking tacklers out of position in space; if his speed were average for someone his size, those angles wouldn't be so bad.

If there's a good corollary for Green's skill set, it's current Philadelphia Eagles tailback Bryce Brown. Their measurables are nearly identical, as are their rushing styles. Like Green, Brown is an upright, one-cut back who can pound it between the tackles and get to the corner with surprising ease. Here's a look at Brown from the 2012 preseason:

Now, one can't really talk about Bryce Brown without all the dopiness surrounding his collegiate career. But all of that was independent of his rushing ability, and there's little reason to suggest that Green would be a cause of similar headaches. Moreover, Brown's at least fulfilling his potential now, and that's a level of potential that Green can match.

It's worth mentioning that Green's rushing style may not match Michigan's strengths on the offensive line. Yes, he's capable of getting to that corner with surprising speed, but he's a "get it and go" type of guy first and foremost. And with Michigan having to replace its three inner offensive lineman (a unit that struggled mightily at times last year), Green may have a rough go of it trying to get his inside rushing game going.

Still, it's obvious that Green adds a dynamic dimension to an offense that desperately needed it in 2012. If he stays healthy and keeps his head on straight, there's no reason why Green can't be a major factor in the backfield for an offense in dire need of exactly that.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The strange, bizarre and confounding case of Manti Te'o and his fictional girlfriend took to Katie Couric's show last week. If that particular scene wasn't odd enough, there is now an auto-tuned version. 

The nation is still dizzy from a peculiar story that continues to unfold. The gut reaction is to make light of what we don't know.

If there is one thing we can take away from this story of a dead girlfriend who never lived, it's that we hardly know the entire tale. So it only makes sense that memes, viral videos and parodies would surface.

Well, here is one of the best in the form of a Couric and Te'o duet. 

All of the hits from that particular interview are here, including Te'o's "far from it." Then there are moments you might not recall, like Te'o's father breaking it all down with a smooth rap, followed by an Al Roker admission. 

It will leave you exclaiming just what Couric and Te'o do at the end of this music video: It just doesn't make any sense. 

 

Hit me up on Twitter for more insanity. 

Follow @gabezal

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

The Georgia Bulldogs are making quite a push for the nation's best linebacker recruit: Reuben Foster.

Foster is a 5-star inside linebacker with legitimate star potential, and the Bulldogs are putting on the full-court press for his commitment in the days and hours leading up to national signing day (Feb. 6).

Mark Richt and his program landed an all-important official visit from Foster this past weekend, and it was a visit that reportedly went very well, according to Kipp Adams of ESPN.com:

Foster had a close friend waiting for him to arrive. 

“Really the best part of this official was spending time with the coaches and my brother, Tray Matthews,” Foster said. “He is part of the Georgia program now, so he was my host for the weekend. Tray said he loves it there and he really wants me to come there, but at the same time, he wants me to do what is best for me. I have been there plenty of times, so I really do not have any more questions for Georgia.” 

Georgia also made a great impression with Foster's mother, per Adams' report:

One person who has not visited Georgia before is his mother, Inita Paige. She had been to Alabama and Auburn, but this was her first time checking out the Bulldogs. 

“My mom was able to go and she liked it,” Foster said. “She came because she wanted to see what college I wanted to go to. The coaches made a lot of time for her and I think she likes Georgia a lot right now. She is fine with me going away from home to college.” 

For all intents and purposes, the Bulldogs are setting themselves up very nicely. 

They can offer Foster a strong personal connection in Matthews, his mother likes the program and Richt is apparently selling Foster on playing outside linebacker and filling the role that Jarvis Jones is leaving vacant in Georgia's defense, according to Adams.

That's a strong pitch for the Bulldogs, and they appear to have a very good chance to land Foster's commitment.

There's only one problem, and that's the Auburn Tigers.

Foster is a former Auburn commitment, remember, and he did go out and get that permanent Auburn tattoo on his arm. He decommited shorty after head coach Gene Chizik was fired, but since then Gus Malzahn and his staff have done a great job of reconnecting with the elite recruit. 

Auburn is still a main option for Foster (top three along with Georgia and Alabama, according to his 247Sports interests list), and it is worth noting that Foster does live in Auburn, Alabama. He's also scheduled to take an official visit to Auburn this weekend.

There's no doubting the fact that Georgia has made a strong push for the elite recruit, but many recruiting experts still believe that Auburn is the team to beat.

In fact, I asked 247Sports national recruiting director JC Shurburtt what his thoughts where on Foster's recruitment, and he had this to say about the chances of the linebacker going back to Auburn, via Twitter:

@akonsports If I had to predict now, I'd say yes.

— JC Shurburtt (@jcshurburtt) January 27, 2013

Andrew Bone of TideSports.com also took to Twitter with his thoughts on Foster and Auburn:

Auburn def appears the team to beat for Foster.If they offer Cumberlander, and he commits- Game over (IMO).

— Andrew Bone (@AndrewJBone) January 28, 2013

The Tigers still seem to be the front-runner for Foster, at least in the eyes of many recruiting experts.

That said, will Georgia's recent official with Foster change things up?

In recruiting, anything is possible, so at the very least the Bulldogs have to be feeling very good about what they were able to accomplish with the elite linebacker.

The visit reportedly went very well, and Georgia has a strong pitch.

I wouldn't say that Georgia has gained the edge for Foster just yet, though, because that's Auburn's edge to lose.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

This year’s Senior Bowl reaffirmed the notion that the current crop of quarterback prospects will have to do a lot between now and the April draft to prove themselves worthy of an early-round pick.

While Florida State gunslinger E.J. Manuel was named the Most Outstanding Player of the contest, other participating passers had less-than-stellar performances.

 

 

Syracuse Quarterback Ryan Nassib

Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib completed 4-of-10 passes for 44 yards and threw an ugly interception to Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo. Overall, Nassib’s performance on the day left much to be desired.

The former Orange passer is rumored to be the target of the Buffalo Bills, who recently hired former Syracuse coach Doug Marrone to be the team’s head coach.

SB Nation writer Brian Galliford says Nassib “has a lot of what teams look for in a quarterback” and could go as high as No. 8 in the draft—where the Bills first pick.

If that’s the case, the team could not have been too impressed by Nassib’s performance Saturday. It will be up to the Syracuse signal-caller to prove to the Bills and the rest of the league in coming weeks that he is worthy of a premium draft pick.

 

 

Arkansas Quarterback Tyler Wilson

While Wilson’s stats were not bad—8-of-11 passing for 40 yards and no picks—his performance left much to be desired.

Yahoo Sports writer Doug Farras said Wilson looked “tentative” in the game, “throwing checkdown after checkdown” and was nearly intercepted several times. In other words, the numbers may not say it, but Wilson has work to do. 

Wilson had a strong week of practices leading up to the Senior Bowl and has height (he’s 6'2") and a strong arm on his side. 

He’s still projected to go in the first round as one of the top passers drafted, but if he can display to NFL teams in the time between now and the April draft that he is the top quarterback prospect, it could pay off mightily.

 

Oklahoma Quarterback Landry Jones

 

The former Sooners signal caller had an awful Senior Bowl, going 3-of-9 passing for 16 yards.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks calls Jones the “biggest enigma” in the 2013 quarterback class, and “arguably the most talented quarterback prospect” set to be available in the NFL Draft.

But he may not even be selected on the first day. Luckily, there is plenty of time before the draft for Jones to convince NFL teams he is ready for the big-time.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

National Signing Day is just days away, with a number of top recruits already declaring their intentions for Feb. 6. There are still some top recruits that remain uncommitted as the final week of recruiting winds down. 

This is a look at all 100 recruits in the 247Sports.com Composite Rankings and where they will sign when signing day Wednesday rolls around. 

Some teams will make dramatic moves in the team rankings when they pick up top recruits, and others will tumble. The final week of recruiting is always full of action with this year looking to follow the lead of years past. 

***All rankings provided by the 247Sports.com Composite Rankings 

Begin Slideshow

It may seem like the college football season just came to an end, but the 2013 preseason poll will be released before you know it. The same way the regular season flew by is exactly how the remaining months of the offseason will play out, and it will soon be time for the kids to take the gridiron once again.

So there is no better time than now to predict what the 2013 preseason poll will look like. But instead of mentioning those teams that weren't able to hold their own last year, we are only going to mention the Top 25 teams that finished in the final AP Poll. Unfortunately for some clubs, the rankings are going to be turned upside down.

Some of the programs that were ranked will no longer have a spot in the Top 25 and there are a handful of teams that will climb up the ladder. Due to rosters changing and media hype, things quickly change when it comes to the preseason poll.

Last year doesn't mean much when voters get together for the new upcoming season.

Here is where every Top 25 team from a year ago will be ranked once the 2013 preseason poll is released.

Note: The current rankings are in order of the final AP Poll.

Begin Slideshow

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini was apparently not happy when he received the news that 3-star wide receiver Dominic Walker had flipped his commitment from the Cornhuskers to Auburn.

Bo Pelini crossed the line with the way that he reportedly reacted.

According to Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel (h/t cfbsection.com), Pelini was not too happy when he received the call from Walker:

It was hard for Walker to make that call to Nebraska on Friday, but he knew he had to do it. He said he didn't handle the Vanderbilt situation as well as he could have back when he decommitted from the Commodores in October and he wanted to make sure and do the right thing this time.

Even his mom was afraid for him when he made the call to head coach Bo Pelini and his staff on Friday.

"It was a very tough decision. They were [mad]. They were very mad. But I thought I had to call them like a real man should," Walker said. "But yeah, they were mad. Coach Pelini said, 'Best of luck, you're going to need it.' "

This was an unprofessional reaction from Pelini, and he wasn't the only one who was upset. Hays also reports that Nebraska's wide receivers coach gave the recruit some backlash:

Wide receivers coach Rich Fisher also was in on the call. 

"Coach Fisher said, 'I can’t believe you,' " Walker said. "It was really awkward."

To be clear, I completely understand where Pelini and Fisher are coming from, but they still crossed the line.

As a coaching staff, there have to be few things more frustrating than losing a commitment—especially so close to national signing day (Feb. 6). Walker was a player that Nebraska was planning on moving forward with, and now Pelini and his staff may have to scramble to try to replace him. If they're not going to replace him, his decommitment still creates negative momentum in the all-important days leading up to national signing day.

Pelini had plenty of reason to be upset, but he had zero reason to lash out and make a snarky remark to the recruit. Simply put, that's not how the head coach of a major college football program is expected to act.

Frankly, that's not how a head coach at any level is expected to act.

He knows better, and he knows the game of recruiting. Nothing is final until signing day, and until then any decommitments or flips are fair game. This shouldn't be surprising to Pelini, and it's certainly not something to lose his composure over.

The fact of the matter is, Walker handled this in the right way. He could have very well Tweeted his decommitment or texted it in to a graduate assistant or someone else he knows on the team. He could have gone about it in a hundred different, much easier ways, but he chose the right way.

More often than not, the right thing to do is often the harder thing to do. I commend Walker for handling this the right way.

He owned up to his decision and called Pelini. In that process, he showed incredible maturity and humility. That's more than we can say about some head coaches who have left programs high and dry in the past, let alone a recruit changing his verbal commitment.

Despite all of that, Pelini has the audacity to throw Walker's maturity back in his face and treat him in a disrespectful manner?

No matter how upset you are, you just can't treat a high school kid that way when it comes down to him making arguably the biggest decision of his life. This choice for him is much more than football, and that's a fact that gets lost all too much in the recruiting process.

Walker is choosing his future, and he has every right to change his mind without the fear of backlash from the head coach of a program.

Sure, you expect it from fans on message boards. You expect it when you hop online and read your emails, and you definitely expect it on Twitter.

You don't expect it from the head football coach at Nebraska, though. He has to be above that, at least for his reputation's sake on the recruiting trail.

This is not a good look for Pelini.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Bob Bowlsby, the commissioner of the Big 12, is looking for a dance partner for his league, as reported by Kirk Bohls from the Austin American-Statesman. While two other unspecified conferences are on the table, it is the ACC that seems to be the clear leader at this stage in the process.

Unfortunately for fans who want this happen, there's no point in putting too much stock in this moving forward. It's just not something that is going to work in the current landscape of the collegiate athletic world. We've already seen the Pac-12 and Big Ten alliance fall apart before it ever had a chance to start, and this Big 12-ACC venture will be no different.

In theory it would be a blessing to fans. They'd get another guaranteed game against a big-time draw from a BCS conference—Florida State-Texas and Clemson-Oklahoma and the like. Those are games that would get fans pumped up and help fill up stadiums. In the current climate of full stands being hard to come by, one would think that would be a deciding factor.

Except that is not the only matrix by which this decision shall be made. Full stadiums are nice; flexibility in scheduling is better. The ACC is a league that already dropped its nine-game conference schedule plan due to the addition of Notre Dame to the conference slate.

The Fighting Irish are not going anywhere. Florida State, Clemson and Georgia are not about to drop their in-state rivalries, and overall flexibility is not going to be compromised.

The ACC lets its members pick their own nonconference games and then works around those dates to help teams maximize what they do outside of the league. A partnership with the Big 12 would dry up a lot of open dates in the league and really stack the deck for the conference's members.

A team like Florida State, with eight ACC games plus Florida on the docket, has to be smart in its future scheduling. It cannot control when it ends up with Notre Dame on the schedule, but it can oppose the addition of a Big 12 team before it happens. A Big 12-ACC alliance would put Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech in the crosshairs of 11 BCS-caliber opponents with just one game of flexibility.

That is not something any team in college football is signing up to undertake.

It is not just the schools with in-state rivals to play that will push back at the idea of the partnership. North Carolina is set to play Ohio State in 2017. Adding another major date with the Big 12 would put the high-profile Buckeyes date in jeopardy.

The same goes for Virginia Tech in this regard. The Hokies have Alabama (2013), Ohio State (2014, 2015) and Wisconsin (2016, 2017) on their schedule already. Throw in their dates with East Carolina in the future, and being locked into a game with the Big 12 just will not serve the Hokies well from a flexibility standpoint.

So, while it works for fans and would get their enthusiasm up, they are not the folks making the hard decisions about scheduling. The four-team playoff is on the horizon, and while it's been said that "strength of scheduling matters," how much it will matter to the selection committee remains to be seen. Wins are the currency that college football trades in, and overstocking a schedule is not the way to grow a portfolio.

Flexibility and getting wins are what the ACC both wants and needs. The teams that want to schedule a Big 12 game are free to do just that, while the other ACC members can enjoy their dates with the Big Ten, SEC, Big East or Pac-12. Rooting for the alliance makes sense for fans, but ultimately do not expect teams to compromise their scheduling freedoms to make it come to fruition.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

4-star tight end Durham Smythe has committed to Notre Dame.

This is a great pickup for Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish, and there is no doubting the fact that they've received a commitment from one of the better recruits in the 2013 class.

Smythe has the chance to be a star tight end at the college level. He's 6'5'', 233 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40 according to 247Sports. He's also ranked as the No. 8 tight end in the 2013 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Max Olson of ESPN.com reports on Smythe's commitment:

Durham Smythe (Belton, Texas/Belton) pulled the trigger on a verbal commitment to the Irish at the end of his official visit this weekend. Smythe is Notre Dame’s 23rd commit of 2013. 

Long considered a Stanford lean, Smythe chose Notre Dame over the Cardinal and made his decision before taking an official visit to Michigan next weekend. 

“Going into the visit, I felt like I had a pretty good relationship with the staff and I was really excited about visiting,” he said. “When I got out here and experienced everything first-hand, there really wasn’t a doubt in my mind.” 

Smythe is bringing a lot to the table for Notre Dame. 

He has good size and terrific speed for a tight end. He'll be able to use his speed to stretch the defense vertically in the seams as a receiver.

He's a terrific commitment for Notre Dame, especially considering the loss of Tyler Eifert. Replacing Eifert's production and role in the Fighting Irish's offense is not going to be an easy task.

Smythe joins 4-star tight end Mike Heurman as another elite 2013 tight end commitment for Notre Dame. Much like Smythe, Heurman has good size at 6'4'', 220 pounds, and he runs a 4.76 40 according to 247Sports. He's the No. 9 ranked tight end in the 2013 class according to the 247Sports composite.

Both players are talented enough to come in and compete with Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack for the starting job as freshmen, but this could also be an excellent platoon group as well. Both Niklas and Koyack are bigger than the two incoming freshmen, thus they would be great in two-tight or unbalanced situations as blockers.

Smythe and Heurman are fast and will both be great receivers, so Kelly and his staff can utilize those two players in passing situations. They're also big enough to stay home and block though, so Notre Dame wouldn't be giving away anything by bringing either of them in.

We'll most likely see Smythe used situationally as a freshman, especially in passing situations. In fact, I also wouldn't be surprised if Notre Dame split him out and created a few mismatches in the slots or flats. The same could be done with Heurman as well.

Either way, Kelly and his staff will have a lot of options in regards to how to best utilize Smythe. He's a very talented recruit, and he'll play a big role as a freshman.

With the tight end position becoming more and more versatile, having options and different personnel to use is a huge advantage.

Smythe will be one of those options in 2013, and he'll create a ton of mismatches for Notre Dame.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

One of the biggest fish left in the recruiting pond heading into the weekend was running back Derrick Green from Richmond, Va. The 247Sports.com Composite 5-star prospect narrowed his choices down to Michigan, Auburn and Tennessee, and made his decision known on Saturday

Unfortunately for the Tigers and Volunteers, as the 6'0", 220-pounder chose the Wolverines over the two SEC contenders.

So where does Auburn go from here?

The Tigers have already signed junior college running back Cameron Artis-Payne, a 3-star prospect who will have three years to play two seasons. He rushed for 2,048 yards and 25 touchdowns for Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, Calif.

But there's still room for a high school running back in this class.

The Tigers hosted 5'11", 190-pound running back Johnathan Ford from New Hope, Ala. Ford is rated as a 4-star prospect according to 247Sports.com, and has been a commitment to Vanderbilt since April 2012.

But according to 247Sports.com national recruiting director JC Shurburtt, Ford is very much in play for Auburn despite his commitment to the Commodores:

One player I haven't mentioned when talking #Auburn is four-star RB Jonathan Ford, who is committed to #Vandy. He's in play. Excellent RB.

— JC Shurburtt (@jcshurburtt) January 28, 2013

That's good news for the Tigers. Ford has been gaining a lot of momentum late in the recruiting process, picking up offers from Auburn and Georgia, and visited Tennessee on Jan. 11 according to 247Sports.com.

The Tigers are also hot on the trail of current Notre Dame commit Tarean Folston.

The 5'9", 185-pounder from Cocoa, Fla., committed to the Fighting Irish on Jan. 2, but took an official visit to Auburn on Jan. 18. Auburn's late push to land Folston can be tied to Auburn's hiring of Dameyune Craig as its co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Craig had been recruiting Folston when he was coaching at Florida State, according to AL.com.

With rising junior 1,000-yard rusher Tre Mason returning, Auburn is set at the running back position. But first-year head coach Gus Malzahn loves to spread the football around to various running backs in different formations, so it's important for Auburn to have options.

Green may be out of the picture now, but don't be surprised to see Malzahn and Co. flip a top running back between now and national signing day.

 

Follow @BarrettSallee

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The LSU Tigers are still in the running for 5-star defensive end and No. 1 overall recruit Robert Nkemdiche.

The odds may be stacked against them, but all it takes is one good visit on the recruiting trail to drastically change those odds. A week ago, we weren't sure if LSU was going to land an all-important official visit.

That's not the case anymore...

Nkemdiche just took his official visit to Ole Miss, and it was a visit that went very well, according to Kipp Adams of ESPN.com:

As for the top prospect in the country, Nkemdiche enjoyed himself too. 

"The Ole Miss official was awesome," Nkemdiche said. "I enjoyed hanging with my brother and showing that me and him have a bond together. It is a special thing." 

While that is terrific news for Ole Miss, Nkemdiche did also say that he's going to set up his official to LSU, per Adams:

"Ole Miss is up there –- and then there is Florida and LSU," Nkemdiche said. "I am going to set my LSU official up this week.

Right now it seems as if both Florida and LSU should be considered outliers for Nkemdiche's commitment considering his strong family ties with the Rebels and the tone of his recent official visit. That said, though, at the very least, LSU and head coach Les Miles will be able to put the Tigers in a great position to have a chance.

With literally days left until National Signing Day (Feb. 6), a chance is all LSU can ask for at this point.

The pitch is simple for the Tigers. It comes down to playing time at defensive end—which LSU can offer—and the chance to play for a nationally relevant program. LSU will be a contender in the SEC for the next few seasons, and the Tigers are always getting attention from the national media. Factor in the incredible home atmosphere of Tiger Stadium, and you've got yourself a strong pitch if you're LSU.

The question now becomes, is that enough to propel LSU over Ole Miss in Nkemdiche's mind?

Frankly, if that were to be the case, it would be a major upset. Nkemdiche may not claim a leader publicly, but the Rebels have held the upper hand ever since he decommitted from Clemson. 

Family is not always a factor, but in Nkemdiche's case it seems to be the factor.  It's a strong bond, and it very well could be stronger than playing time at LSU, national relevance and immediate contention within the SEC.

All that said, upsets are possible, especially in college football recruiting, so the fact that LSU looks like it's going to secure the final visit for Nkemdiche is huge for the Tigers.  

It's going to take a buzzer-beater of epic proportions for LSU to come away with Nkemdiche's commitment on February 6. In fact, this is more like a half-court shot down by two with seconds left.

Just like any half-court shot, the chances of LSU banking it in off the glass are rather improbable, but at the very least, the Tigers still do have a chance.

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While most of the national media has been focused on how the news of the NCAA's "improper conduct" in the Nevin Shapiro scandal could affect the University of Miami's potential punishment, another school that has already received punishment from the NCAA could thrust itself in the spotlight as well.

The University of Southern California. Football's pariah.

In June 2010, USC was sanctioned by the NCAA with a two-year postseason ban, the loss of 30 scholarships over a three-year period and a four-year probationary period due to the school's lack of institutional control regarding student athletes in multiple sports. 

The NCAA's Infractions Report is lengthy (65 pages!) and goes so far as to mention that the committee considered a television ban—which is just shy of the death penalty in college athletics—as part of the punishment it could dole out. Why the NCAA felt the need to add that in the report is mystifying but it certainly shows its level of pissivity, if nothing else.

Robert Swanson, a former USC Associates board member and current season-ticket holder, told me that some alumni (including himself) viewed that television ban mention as a proactive threat from the NCAA to USC—if the school sought relief via the appeal process, the NCAA could reconsider the initial penalties it imposed and add in a television ban.

Paranoia? Perhaps, but the NCAA is an association which answers to no one. USC did file a meek appeal but to no one's surprise, lost without further repercussions.

To understand why USC fans and alumni were so upset with the NCAA's final decree, you have to go back over the last 18 years and compare what other schools received in penalties for far more serious violations. 

In 2002, Alabama received a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 21 scholarships over three years stemming from a pay-to-play scandal involving Albert Means, a recruit out of Memphis. That particular case involved payment for a student-athlete to sign a letter of intent with Alabama—that violation is what the NCAA views as the most egregious of all violations involving student-athletes. Nevertheless, Alabama's sanctions were considerably lighter than the sanctions slapped on USC.

Some college football analysts believed USC's sanctions were too heavy-handed, considering the thin amount of evidence the NCAA's Committee of Infractions (COI) used to prove USC knew or should have known that Reggie Bush was receiving impermissible benefits. 

USC had always maintained that it didn't know student-athletes were receiving impermissible benefits—that's key in cases where institutional control is being questioned. But Paul Dee, the chair of the COI, didn't see it the same way. Dee admonished USC by saying it had to do a better job in compliance because "high-profile athletes demand high-profile compliance." 

Paul Dee's long tenure at Miami perhaps suggests he has had experience in compliance issues—and he has, but unfortunately it wasn't of the positive kind.

Dee was Miami's athletic director from 1993 to 2008 during which time the school's football program was hammered by the NCAA.

In 1995, the school was reeling from a Pell Grant scandal in which 57 players received over $200,000 in federal financial aid stemming from falsified applications. There's a lot more than just that but the point should be made that the university was deemed to have lacked institutional control while Paul Dee was in charge.  

Sports Illustrated columnist Alexander Wolff wrote an article via an open letter to Miami president Edward Foote II regarding his disgust over the Pell Grant scandal. An excerpt from that letter:

Fifty-seven players were implicated in a financial-aid scandal that the feds call "perhaps the largest centralized fraud upon the federal Pell Grant program ever committed." And among numerous cases of improper payments to players from agents was one in which the nondelivery of a promised installment led a Hurricane player to barge into an agent's office and put a gun to his head.

Miami, according to CBSSports columnist Dennis Dodd, received a 24-scholarship reduction over three years, a one-year postseason ban and a three-year probationary period. Massively defrauding the federal government is apparently not as bad as a booster paying for a kid's parent's rent, judging by the NCAA's comparative sanctions on the two schools. 

Like Alabama, Miami's sanctions were lighter than USC's sanctions. You would think Miami would have learned a valuable lesson after the Pell Grant scandal, wouldn't you? 

Miami booster Nevin Shapiro allegedly showered Miami recruits and players with access to cash, gifts, sex, booze, drugs and parties from 2002 through 2010—the long, mind-boggling report by Yahoo! Sports can be read here. The athletic director who oversaw all but two years of Miami athletics during that time period was, you guessed it, Paul Dee. 

Dee's response to Nevin Shapiro's alleged involvement was a stunning display of hypocrisy.

"We didn't have any suspicion that he was doing anything like this," Dee said in 2011. "He didn't do anything to cause concern."

Dee—the same man who allegedly allowed Shapiro to lead the Hurricanes on to the field before a game—plead the "we didn't know" defense on behalf of Miami despite his previous beatdown of USC for not knowing what was going on with Bush.

ESPN's Ted Miller even pointed out Dee's hypocritical statements regarding USC's violations while more severe violations were being committed under his watch while serving as Miami's athletic director:

Here he waxed sell-righteously -- and inaccurately -- over the USC case: “This case strikes at the heart of the principles of amateurism.” ("Inaccurate" because booster pay-for-play strikes at the heart of amateurism, not agents trying to lure players AWAY from amateurism). 

Columnists Stewart Mandel (Sports Illustrated) and Dennis Dodd (CBS Sports) would only have to wait one year before they too could express their ire over the COI's inept and beleaguered leadership. 

Even more compelling is that Dee's former employer (Miami) benefited from the sanctions he oversaw as the COI's chair—the No. 1 prospect in USC's 2010 recruiting class (according to Scout.com, among others), Seantrel Henderson, decommitted from USC after the sanctions were doled out and eventually signed with Miami.

The NCAA's COI has maintained that because every one of its cases is different, there is no precedent for sanctions. But that's also a convenient way to not have to answer to any institution that cries "unfair" after receiving its punishment. 

That may change shortly.

Former USC running back coach Todd McNair filed a lawsuit last year against the NCAA charging libel, slander and breach of conduct. McNair had been punished by the NCAA with a one-year show-cause penalty which required any school attempting to hire him in a coaching capacity must get NCAA approval.

The NCAA determined that McNair knew or should have known of Bush's relationship with a would-be sports marketer and thus, a lack of institutional control existed within the compliance department which enhanced the school's penalties. 

The presiding judge in McNair's civil suit against the NCAA, Frederick Shaller, recently ruled that the NCAA was "malicious" in its investigation of McNair. That ruling is now under appeal.

Reign of Troy's Trenise Ferreira, a USC blogger, recently contacted attorney Lincoln Bandlow, who is considered an expert in defamation law, for a summary of the case's current status:  

Bandlow explains that when McNair filed a defamation lawsuit, the NCAA brought an anti-SLAPP motion, which means the organization believes its investigation of McNair was thorough and fair and there is no way he could win his case, which will surely be lengthy and expensive. In disagreeing with the NCAA, Judge Shaller is saying that he believes there is enough evidence to show actual malice, which is what McNair’s lawyers need to demonstrate to prevail in this case. Since McNair was a football coach at the time of the investigation, he is considered a public figure, and so the standards of his defense change.

“The judge likely found evidence showing the NCAA shouldn’t believe what they were about to say,” suggests Bandlow. But if it’s just that  [the NCAA] didn’t like him, that’s not enough.”

“All that matters is if they knew the truth and hid it,” said Bandlow, meaning that McNair’s attorneys need to prove there is evidence that the NCAA had no proof of or knew that McNair had no involvement in the situation surrounding Reggie Bush, yet they held him responsible anyway.

McNair's lawyer has maintained that the NCAA knew it had questionable evidence against McNair. In an Orange County Register report, Bruce Broillet, McNair's attorney, reacted to the judge's favorable ruling toward McNair:

[Broillet] said during the hearing that the records showed the agency knew it was relying on false statements about McNair’s conduct and wanted to “nail” the coach, who also played in the NFL.

“They wrote evidence the way they wanted it to be—that’s malice,” Broillet said.

[NCAA attorney Laura] Wytsma rejected that contention in court, saying the evidence in the case show the committee that investigated McNair was trying to get its report right.

“They were struggling to get the right result,” she said, adding that several members of the investigative committee were prominent lawyers and legal scholars.

She also argued that records in the case should not be unsealed, saying it would hurt future investigations. The NCAA does not have subpoena power, she said.

The NCAA appears to be using its lack of "subpoena power" as a strawman defense over its investigative tactics. In the newly released NCAA report in which the NCAA admits to improper conduct in the Miami scandal, the second paragraph is particularly noteworthy:

As it does not have subpoena power, the NCAA does not have the authority to compel testimony through procedures outside of its enforcement program. Through bankruptcy proceedings, enforcement staff gained information for the investigation that would not have been accessible otherwise.

The fact that the NCAA cannot compel witnesses who aren't employed by an institution to testify in investigations—nor can it compel any person who is no longer an NCAA student-athlete—seems to be a recurring theme. 

Can USC sue the NCAA for malice? Possibly.  

If the NCAA decides to settle out of court with McNair, it could stipulate that settlement be sealed from public record and/or McNair sign a confidentiality agreement which could carry heavy financial risk if McNair testified on USC's behalf. 

USC athletic director Pat Haden recently told Los Angeles Times reporter Gary Klein that USC is aware of what is going on with the McNair case's proceedings:

Haden and USC are monitoring a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by former running backs coach Todd McNair in the aftermath of its Bush investigation. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled in November that emails between an investigative committee member, an NCAA worker and a person who works in the agency's appeals division "tend to show ill will or hatred" toward McNair and that McNair has shown a probability that he can win his defamation claims. The ruling is under appeal.

"If the facts come out as have been suggested we would probably reconvene and have a look," Haden says.

Haden, for what it's worth, won two national championships (1972, '74) playing quarterback at USC. He was also a Rhodes Scholar and up until 2010, was a partner in the law firm of Riordan, Lewis and Haden.

To say Haden has USC's best interests at heart would be an understatement. Couple in his legal background and there is no doubt Haden fully understands what USC's best course of action will be when McNair's appeal process has run its course.

Taking on the NCAA could be risky since the NCAA is currently investigating USC over whether or not former running back Joe McKnight received impermissible benefits. Then again, the NCAA had been coming off an embarrassing investigation of UCLA basketball player Shabazz Muhammad—an NCAA employee was reportedly dismissed after her boyfriend leaked information about the investigation while on an airplane. And now there is the improper conduct in the Miami case. 

The blood in the water may prompt USC to finally take that beast head on. Kick 'em when they're down. 

USC could ditch its pariah status and unintentionally be crowned college football's messiah.

Because for the first time in college football history, nobody would be rooting against the Trojans. 

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While most of the national media has been focused on how the news of the NCAA's " improper conduct " in the Nevin Shapiro scandal could affect the University of Miami's potential ...

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