NCAA Football

Last spring, a relatively unknown receiver lit up every offseason workout he attended. The player saw his stock soar as he made a name for himself by performing well at various combines, camps and throwing sessions. His spring performance was so impressive that he earned a scholarship to Baylor.

By the time the 2013 recruiting cycle ended, Robbie Rhodes was considered one of the top players in the country.

As the following players are proving, a recruit does not have to possess early offers from juggernaut schools to earn recognition. A safety from California used a camp as the platform for his coming out party. An undersized corner displayed exceptional athleticism to earn an invite to a prestigious summer event.

And two offensive linemen have made a name for themselves with good performances at various camps and combines.

Player evaluations are based on review of tape at Scout.com, Rivals, 247Sports & ESPNU.

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Most individuals probably have a slightly different opinion on what exactly an urban legend is, but one thing is certain: urban legends have been around college football for well over 100 years and there are plenty to speak of.

According to About.com, "an urban legend is an apocryphal, secondhand story, alleged to be true and just plausible enough to be believed, about some horrific, embarrassing, ironic or exasperating series of events that supposedly happened to a real person."

So what are the most memorable urban legends in college football history? Is the legend really true, or is it something that has proven to be false?

Read on to find out just what it might be.

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It is Thursday, which means it is time for another dig through the mailbag to answer some questions from football fans. This week, we have questions on SEC and Pac -12 football...

Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

It is Thursday, which means it is time for another dig through the mailbag to answer some questions from football fans.

This week, we have questions on SEC and Pac-12 football. 

 

Jesse Sears asks about Auburn's 2013 season:

That depends on how you define "turnaround." Last year, Auburn was winless against SEC opponents and posted a 3-9 record with wins over Louisiana Monroe, New Mexico State and Alabama A&M.

There really is nowhere to go but up. Alabama and Georgia spanked Auburn in shutouts, but the Tigers did keep it close against LSU, losing 12-10. Unfortunately, they also kept it close against Louisiana Monroe, winning 31-28 in overtime.

The Tigers have running back Tre Mason returning (1,002 YDS, 8 TD), but they lose some big playmakers in receiver Emory Blake, tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen and the versatile Onterio McCalebb.

This is concerning because Auburn finished last in the SEC in total offense last year. 

New head coach Guz Malzahn is an offensive genius and we will certainly see more creative formations, but he needs time to rebuild this program. The quarterback situation will not be resolved until camp starts up. Kiehl Frazier and Jonathan Wallace both have starting experience.

The Tigers' schedule has a lot of landmines, as do all SEC West schedules. Auburn plays at LSU, at Texas A&M, at Arkansas and at Tennessee in addition to hosting Mississippi State, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama.

I see two potential wins against Tennessee and Arkansas.

The nonconference schedule looks doable. Auburn opens with Washington State, which is coached by Mike Leach. How Auburn's pass defense holds up against Leach's Air Raid offense will be telling. Auburn lost to Texas A&M 63-21 after Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns. 

Washington State may not produce much of a rushing attack. It ranked last in FBS rushing with an average of 29 yards per game in 2012. The Cougars' five-receiver sets may still cause problems for Auburn's secondary. 

If the Tigers beat the Cougars, then there will have been noticeable improvement. 

Six wins would be an acceptable record in a rebuilding season. While that is not quite a turnaround season, it is certainly one that should be embraced. Great programs build slowly, not overnight.

 

Next up is a two-part question by Chris regarding the Pac-12 and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.

The Pac-12 should have another solid year. The conference returns an average of 15.6 starters per team. To give you a comparison of how high that is, the Big 12 returns an average of 11.4 starters per team while the Big Ten returns 12.4.

Two teams that may surprise are Arizona State in the South and Washington in the North.

Arizona State's defense may have one of the best front sevens in the country. If Washington can keep its offensive line healthy, we should see the Huskies eclipse that seven-win mark. 

Oregon, UCLA, USC and Stanford all should have great seasons as well. UCLA needs to work on containing the edge on runs while USC's cornerbacks need to close the distance between themselves and receivers. Oregon and Stanford should continue where they left off last season.

As far as Manziel, there is so much pressure on him this year. Last year, he was a freshman quarterback on a team that was in its debut as an SEC member. This year, he is a Heisman winner trying to avoid the sophomore slump. All three sophomores have won the Heisman. Then again, Manziel was the first freshman to win it. 

He will probably struggle to repeat last year's performance, although the schedule sets up nicely for him. The Aggies drew Vanderbilt and Missouri from the East. They do have to visit Arkansas and LSU, but play a total of eight games at home.

On September 14, we will know exactly how well Manziel backs up his electric 2012 season when Texas A&M hosts a ticked-off Alabama Crimson Tide.

An elephant never forgets.

 

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com.

If you have a college football question, ask Lisa Horne on Twitter or email her at Lisa@Bleacherreport.com.  

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The good news for Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas and Texas A&M is that they all made it into 5-star safety Jamal Adams' top six.

The bad news? So did Florida.

Adams took to Twitter to announce his new top six:

Damon Sayles of ESPN reports on why Adams put each of those schools in his top six:

Adams (Lewisville, Texas/Hebron) said all six schools had the same thing in common—tradition and comfort. 

“I know it’ll be a great four years I can spend there,” Adams said. “Everything is laid out for me, from the academics to playing for a possible national championship.” 

While that's all great for the Fighting Irish, Buckeyes, Rebels, Longhorns and Aggies, here's a tidbit of information that may end up giving the Gators a huge edge in this recruiting race.

According to Sayles' report, Adams will be visiting Florida this weekend, a place where he has a pretty good connection:

Adams said he isn’t sure when he will announce the next cut. For now, his focus is on this weekend. Adams and his father, former NFL first-round pick George Adams, will take in Florida to see all that Gainesville has to offer. Adams also looks forward to spending some time with receivers coach Joker Phillips, who is his godfather. 

“You’ve got to love the history there,” Adams said of Florida. “There’s a history of winning championships. I have a great relationship with Coach T-Rob (secondary coach Travaris Robinson) and also with Coach [Will] Muschamp. It should be a lot of fun."

Having an affinity for a school is one thing. Having your godfather coach the wide receivers is something completely different,  though. Add onto that his reported "great" relationships with Robinson and Muschamp, and it looks like the Gators have a ton going for them moving forward.

Does that mean Florida's a lock?

Absolutely not.

The recruiting trail is filled with surprises, and even the most connected recruits can choose to go to a program where they have no affiliations.

Also, Adams said that Notre Dame wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. is "like a brother" to him, per Sayles, so it's not as if Florida is the only program with a connection that could help them recruit the 5-star.

It will also be tough to out-recruit Urban Meyer, Mack Brown and two red hot recruiting programs in Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Florida's defense is setting up to be elite in the next few seasons, though, and Will Muschamp has done a great job in regard to recruiting marquee defensive players.

Adams is the No. 3 safety in the 2014 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, so he would certainly fit right in with the Gators.

 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Jairus Brents has received an offer to play college football for Kentucky. He's 13 years old.

You didn't read that wrong and no, it's not a typo. 

Brents has received a Division I scholarship to play SEC football, and he's a seventh grader.

Jared Shanker of ESPN.com reports on the offer:

Kentucky offered a scholarship to seventh grader Jairus Brents on Thursday after the 13-year-old participated in a football camp at the university this past weekend.

While the offer might cause shockwaves across the college football and recruiting platforms, it is not much reason for celebration for Brents, a Class of 2018 cornerback from Indiana.

"It's not a big deal. It's just an offer," Brents said.

"It's a good accomplishment, but I'm focusing on being the best cornerback ever and working hard."

Talk about your nonchalant answers...

I couldn't beat Halo in seventh grade, let alone think about playing SEC football.

For what it's worth, Brents is trained by his godfather Chris Vaughn, who had to say this about his talents, per Shanker:

Brents is already light-years ahead of Class of 2013 prospects James Quick and Jason Hatcher, Vaughn said. Brents and Quick have competed head-to-head several times during workouts.

"It's not even close. [Brents] is a different breed of kid. He's super competitive," Vaughn said. "He expects to win every route. He's one of those kids who lights up the competition. Jairus is the best skill kid in the state right now."

Brent plays cornerback right now, and according to Shanker's report, the seventh grader intercepted three passes at the Kentucky camp, while competing against 2014 receivers. 

This may seem like bizarro world, but believe you me, this is becoming the norm in college football recruiting.

Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, Ole Miss and UCLA have already offered eight grader Dylan Moses, who looks like he should be playing in the NFL already. And, as Shanker points out, Brents isn't even the first seventh grader to be offered in history.

Quarterback David Sills was in seventh grade when USC offered in 2010. He's still committed to the Trojans, though his signing day won't be until February of 2015.

Please note that colleges can't make written offers until a recruit's senior year, but they can indeed make verbal offers, so this is all fair game.

Should it be though?

That's a question that we, as a recruiting community, should start examining, with the intent to relieve these young athletes of pressure, as well as allow them to enjoy what is already a stressful period of growing up to begin with.

The other question we should ask ourselves...

What are we feeding these kids nowadays?

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With college football a little over two months away, Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines will be looking to rebound from a disappointing year by Michigan standards, as the team’s 2013 campaign featured losses to Alabama, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Nebraska and, worst of all, Ohio State.

However, this is a very different Michigan team, as the Wolverines have gotten a lot younger. The loss of quarterback and captain Denard Robinson has taken away a lot of the offensive creativity that Michigan has possessed in recent seasons.

However, Michigan is moving on, fielding a team that is generally being looked at as young and inexperienced. A recent report shows that Michigan has returned only two-thirds of last season’s team, meaning this year’s squad has a lot of room for youthful injections.

While many would be nervous about fielding a team as inexperienced as the Wolverines, Hoke is looking forward to this season.

“We’re going to be a young football team in a lot of ways,” said Hoke on “The Huge Show”, “but that’s pretty good.”

With that said, Michigan will be looking to some freshman to make major contributions this season.

 

Derrick Green

One player that is expected to come in and contribute immediately is highly touted running back Derrick Green. Green comes to Ann Arbor by way of Richmond, Va. where he was ranked 38th in ESPN’s top 150. Green is listed at 6', 220 pounds and possesses a combination of speed and power that makes for a lot of excitement for Michigan faithful.

ESPN RecruitingNation’s Tom Luginbill sees Derrick Green as someone who can step in immediately and help Michigan develop a strong running game.

“Simply put, Green is better than what Michigan has in the backfield right now and is a perfect fit for an offense that desperately wants to get back to power football and a heavy downhill run game,” said Luginbill in a recent article.

While Green should contribute, Hoke reiterated that there would be some learning curve when it comes to making the transition to big time college football.

“This isn’t high school football, as we all know, and there’s going to be an adjustment I’m sure,” said Hoke. “When you look at how you pass protect and the things that you do in that part of the offense and also the speed of the defenses that you’ll play. We think highly of him obviously or we wouldn’t have recruited him, but it’s going to be fun to watch him develop.”

 

Jake Butt

Tight end Jake Butt is another freshman hoping to step in to make contributions to this Michigan team.

Butt, who grew up as an Ohio State fan in Pickerington, Ohio, was rated as a 4-star prospect by ESPN.

The freshman has excellent size for a tight end, coming in at 6’6” and 230 pounds with room to grow.

Butt can be expected to perform as a very reliable tight end, as he has the size and aggressiveness to be a good blocker, while he also possesses the ability to go out and catch the ball. According to Scout.com, Butt is being viewed as a good route runner with the athletic ability to make plays on offense.

Another major positive is that Butt took the opportunity to enroll at Michigan early in an effort to work his way towards 2013 playing time.

“As displayed, we’re playing a lot of young tight ends,” said Butt, “so I think that’s a good opportunity for me to graduate early and kind of develop physically to try to step into a role and get some playing time early in the season”.

While sophomore Devin Funchess is the odds-on favorite to get most of the reps this season, look for Butt to be used to create matchup problems with multiple tight end formations.

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Having a famous parent doesn't necessarily guarantee success for the child, and often times it actually is a factor in failure.

There's a lot of pressure that comes with fame, but generally, the adult has prepared and is able to handle it. For the kids though, it's usually not something that they ask for. Rather, the pressure is something they inherit.

Throughout Hollywood there are instances of celebrity kids not being able to deal with the pressure, and that can even spill into the world of sports.

For these six 2014 recruits though, that's not the case in regard to their famous dads.

Rather than crumble under the pressure of their famous fathers, they have thrived and have been able to create their own identity.

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Every Thursday on The SEC Blog, we will feature questions from the Bleacher Report inbox, Twitter and email at bsallee@bleacherreport.com. 

You have SEC questions, and I have SEC answers. Thank you for your questions this week. If I didn't get to them, they will be saved and used in the future.

And we're off:

@barrettsallee who is your SEC front runner for the heisman that is NOT a QB??

— Stuart D. Davis (@stu623) June 13, 2013

Without a doubt, it's South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Oddsmakers will tell you that Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is going to be squarely in that mix too, and they're probably right.

But Clowney finished sixth last season, and you can't buy the publicity that he got all offseason from that one hit on Michigan's Vincent Smith. That will work wonders for him as he tries to become the first primary defensive player to take home the award.

The mere fact that Clowney's in the discussion before the season—Bovada.lv had him ninth at 14-to-1 at last check—is a testament to just how dominating he really is.

With that said, it's not going to be easy for Clowney.

Simply matching his stat line from last season—54 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks—won't be good enough to win it. However, if he gets a scoop-and-score, or perhaps a pick-six on a screen pass that directly impacts the outcome of the game, it might be all he needs to bust through that glass ceiling.

@barrettsallee which of these 5 games does Ark. have the best chance of winning? at Alabama, at LSU, at Florida, home vs A&M & home vs USC.

— Tyler Woessner (@TylerWoessner) June 6, 2013

Typically I'd go with a home game for a question like this, but I'll throw a curveball and say Arkansas' Oct. 5 at Florida as the most likely win in that group for a few reasons.

Most importantly, I'm not buying Florida as much as I am the other BCS National Championship contenders in that group. I like Matt Jones at running back, the defense is going to be solid yet again; but you can't be purposefully one-dimensional in the SEC and be successful long term.

It comes in the middle of a brutal five-game stretch for the Hogs, but does fall before Florida's trip to LSU. Maybe, just maybe, the Gators get caught looking ahead.

The fact that there's no good answer to this question indicates just how small the margin for error is for the Razorbacks. All five look like losses on paper, and the trips to Rutgers and Ole Miss weren't even part of the question.

Bret Bielema is a good coach and Arkansas has the talent to be competitive. But that schedule....yikes.

@barrettsallee Does a 9 game conf schedule contribute to secession from the NCAA?

— Shane (@lumbar_shane) June 6, 2013

Actually no, I think if the SEC moves to a nine-game schedule at some point—perhaps in 2016—it's an indication that the "power five" conferences are developing some sort of uniformity and will stay under the NCAA umbrella.

Breaking away from the NCAA would be an extreme move due to the financial implications of leaving that tax-exempt umbrella. The more likely move would be a division of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) within the NCAA.

We're already seeing signs of this happening.

There's talk of limiting or eliminating Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents, more division in bowl tie-ins and—the biggie—$4,000 full cost of attendance stipends. 

All of those things will contribute to a split of the division, but not away from the NCAA unless it makes financial sense. 

Will secession happen in the future? The revenue being generated these days certainly brings it into the conversation, but I see "baby steps" happening first.

 

Do you have a question for next week's Q&A? Send it to SEC lead writer Barrett Sallee via the B/R inbox, on Twitter @BarrettSallee or at bsallee@bleacherreport.com.

 

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Convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro is back in the news again. 

Shapiro claims he won 23 substantial bets on University of Miami football games as a result from inside information given to him from "players, coaches and athletic department staffers," according to Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel and Alexander Wolff. Shapiro detailed one alleged wager on a game between Miami and North Carolina State:

[Shapiro] told SI that several days before favored Miami lost 19-16 to N.C. State on Nov. 3, 2007, he learned from a coach that [Miami] quarterback Kyle Wright would be benched due to a bad knee and ankle. Shapiro said he got his bet in before the benching became public, and the line moved from 13 points to 11. Records show that six days after the game, nine wires moved $1.18 million from one Shapiro business to another. Shapiro claims it was all money from the N.C. State game.

This sounds bad at first, but let's look at this more carefully.

The SI report doesn't indicate if the man who handled Shapiro's wagers, Adam Meyer of AdamWins.com, supplied documentation that backs up Shapiro's claims.

The report does note that "Shapiro supplied SI with financial statements and bank records from 2005 to ’08 that show dozens of five- and six-figure sums moving from Shapiro’s entities to Adam Meyer’s during the college football season."

That certainly doesn't prove Shapiro bet on college football games, much less Miami games. 

The NFL runs concurrently with the college football season. The NBA and college basketball also have scheduled games during part of the college football season. Any first-year law school student could make the argument that unless there is documentation showing Shapiro specifically bet on Miami football games due to inside information, there is no substantial proof of wrongdoing.

Maybe Shapiro was paying off his gambling debts. Maybe Meyer was in need of a loan and Shapiro helped him out. Maybe Shapiro bet on the Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers game on November 2. We can not say with certainty that these reported money transfers were actually wagers. 

If Meyer were to submit to an NCAA investigator's interview and show his ledger of bets from Shapiro, there might be something to these new claims. But only if the NCAA could prove those bets were due to inside information.

Unless these tipsters are still at Miami or any NCAA-member school—after six years and an explosive Yahoo!Sports story, that seems unlikely—they cannot be forced to talk to the NCAA's investigators. 

Because the NCAA does not have subpoena power, Meyer does not have to speak with its investigators as well. It is doubtful a man with a handicapping operation wants his name mentioned in any investigation. This bodes well for Miami.

Shapiro also told SI that he "wouldn’t consent to an interview with the NCAA to discuss his gambling on Miami games after the NCAA balked at paying for his attorney to attend the interview." Shapiro, it would seem, is not going to give the NCAA anything more than a tease. Another win for Miami.

If Shapiro did decide to flip and start talking, there would have to be some corroborating evidence to support his claims. More than just his words. More than documents showing money going in and out without a specific trail. 

The NCAA has bungled this two-year investigation with swarmy investigative tactics, at best. It needs a solid stack of evidence if it is going to make its case against Miami. The court of public opinion is biased toward the U and distrustful of the NCAA. The Association will need more than the flimsy evidence it nailed USC with in 2010. 

The word of a convicted felon who orchestrated a $930 million Ponzi scheme is not enough. Neither is a new report with vague claims subject to multiple interpretations. 

Right now, Miami should not be worried over U.S. Penitentiary (Atlanta) inmate #61311-050's new claims.  

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As expected, Penn State will have plenty of questions to answer once fall camp arrives in August. The main position battle everybody is looking forward to is at quarterback. The Nittany Lions have no answer at the position, according to the latest depth chart provided by Go PSU Sports.

You can check out the full depth chart by clicking here.

The starting quarterback lists Tyler Ferguson OR Christian Hackenberg. This clearly means that there is a true quarterback duel set to take place in Happy Valley. It also means that the coaching staff thinks highly of the two new recruits.

Ferguson was one of the five early enrollees, and that time preparing has certainly paid off as head coach Bill O'Brien told Audrey Snyder of Penn Live back in May.

“We have one quarterback here on campus right now in Tyler Ferguson,” O’Brien said. “That's the guy that definitely has the lead going into training camp because he's been here for 15 practices and a lot of meetings.”

Ferguson also has college experience leaning his favor considering he is a JUCO transfer who spent time at the College of the Sequoias. But he will have his hands full with Hackenberg.

The 5-star quarterback (247Sports) obviously has his work cut out for him due to missing valuable reps by not enrolling early like his competition. However, he has the look of a traditional quarterback at 6'4", possesses tremendous arm strength, is athletic and has a nice, smooth delivery. Although Nittany Lions fans haven't seen him in person, he has generated some buzz off of his potential.

On film he looks like the total package and the coaching staff obviously believes the same. After all, it is quite rare that a true-freshman has the potential to earn the starting job from day one. Even being listed on the depth chart before he starts classes is saying something.

This will be mighty interesting once fall ball kicks off.

A few other nuggets that should earn your attention is seeing defensive tackle Austin Johnson behind Kyle Baublitz. Johnson is an athletic player who spent a lot of time on the basketball court. He had a solid spring practice but is still somewhat of an unknown due to lack of playing time.

Offensively, it is a little bizarre to see Alex Kenney behind Matt Zanellato at wide receiver. Kenney finished last season with 17 receptions for 172 yards and was consistent in limited action, while Zanellato only caught two passes for 19 yards.

Follow @Randy_Chambers

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Being the best player on your team is one thing, but being the most indispensable is another. 

Great players are often backed up by a stable of quality players behind them, which is where Georgia finds itself at running back and Florida's secondary currently stands.

But what about those positions that aren't so deep?

Where can one injury change the fate of an entire team's season? 

Keeping up with what's becoming a June tradition for the SEC Blog, we take a look at the SEC East's most indispensable players in this slideshow.

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Dorian Leonard, 3-star wide receiver from Longview, Texas, has chosen to commit to the University of Texas, picking the Longhorns over Oklahoma in the process.

That's always good news for Texas fans. Don't be naive enough to think the Red River Rivalry doesn't overflow into recruiting.

It does.

Max Olson of ESPN.com reported the commitment via Twitter:

Olson goes on to explain one of the reasons why Leonard picked Texas over Oklahoma, per Twitter:

Texas Tech was another school that did not make the cut for Leonard, which is worth noting because he just attended camp there, per his 247Sports timeline.

Six of six experts in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predicted that Leonard would commit to Oklahoma, but those predictions turned out to be wrong, for now. 

If there's a program out there that understands the fragile nature of commitments, it would be Texas, so holding on to Leonard's commitment will be just as important as receiving it for Mack Brown and his staff.

Leonard has tremendous height at 6'4'' and great size at 200 pounds. He runs a 4.6 40, according to Rivals, so purely just by looking at his intangibles, he has great potential as a receiver.

On tape (Hudl), he has just as much potential. He has great length and extends his hands to make the catch, displaying soft hands and concentration. He can make defenders miss after the catch and he's a strong runner with long strides.

Leonard will be a deep vertical threat because of his size and speed, but he also runs crisp shorter routes, so he'll be a possession receiver as well.

The potential to be great is there, so he's a good commitment for Texas to land.

Note: All scouting and analysis of Leonard done by writer, via tape study of film provided on his 247Sports profile page.

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Clemson revealed to the world Wednesday that Howard's Rock had been vandalized, including a piece of the rock being broken off as the vandals broke the surrounding casing. The centerpiece of one of college football's most visible traditions has been damaged.

Here is where you're supposed to say it is a shame. That you hate that this happened. That this radical fan does not represent the vast majority of fair-minded supporters of college athletics..

And that is all probably true. But it doesn't hide this fact. A real problem exists and the problem is fans. Although we do not know just who vandalized Howard's Rock, now is as good a time as any to point out that fans are a problem in and of themselves.

It is not the spoiled athlete or the coach who makes too much money that is ruining the game. It is the entitled, self-important fan who takes it upon himself to become a part of the story. It's the fan who injects himself into the mix because just reading and watching the game is not enough.

It's understandable. You get pumped up on the Internet anonymity fuel and all of a sudden your voice matters as much as anyone else's. You get to be ugly because, well, because why not?

Of course, Harvey Updyke and the Alabama "teabagger" are the extreme. They act on the things that so many fans just say behind the safety of the Internet. They poison trees. They do the unspeakable to the opposing teams fans. They do it. It is those guys.

Yet, in the grand scheme of things, they are speaking from the same place as ranting YouTube guy, drive-by Twitter angry lady and malicious-talking Internet poster. A place of hate. A place where sports, in this case college football, become about more than teams competing for a win.

A place that is rooted in hatred.

Being labeled a "big sports fan" has become something some folks want to avoid. Not because the majority of sports fans are lunatics, but because the lunatics have tainted the term. By berating athletes on Twitter and Facebook or going to the extremes like Updyke, they have wrestled control away from the masses.

If you're a sports fan, the time has passed for merely saying this is sad. Stand up. Take sports back from the hands of the lunatic fringe. Grab control of the wheel. Make sure people know that being a lunatic is not acceptable. That is it not cute or funny. That it certainly does not mean they love that sport or that team more than anyone else.

Look, if you revel in hating a player or a team more than you enjoy the game itself, that's a problem. If you take more pleasure in someone else's team losing than in your team's winning, then perhaps sports aren't for you.

As for Howard's Rock, here's to hoping it was not an angry fan.

Sports are supposed to be an escape, but a lot of times the crazed fans just make us want to escape from sports.

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UCLA has offered an athletic scholarship to quarterback Lindell Stone (Dawson Middle School, Southlake, Texas), according to an ESPN report. 

The 6' 2", 190-pound 15-year-old just finished eighth grade. "We're really not focused on recruiting right now," Stone told ESPN.

"We're more focused on getting on the field at high school and helping a team win a championship, but this is big. It's finally showing how hard I've worked."

UCLA is not the first school to offer a scholarship to a kid before he stepped foot into high school. In 2010, USC offered quarterback David Sills (Red Lion Academy, Bear, Del.) at the ripe of age 13. Sills has committed to USC. 

For some adults, the thought of grown men fawning over and recruiting a youngster is repulsive. Others are trying to wrap their heads around this alarming recruiting trend.

Bill Redell coached quarterback Jimmy Clausen at Oaks Christian Academy in Westlake Village, Calif. Clausen played at the University of Notre Dame and was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Redell expressed shock when USC head coach Lane Kiffin offered Sills.

"To be honest with you, I think the whole thing's out of whack," Redell told ESPN's Mark Saxon in 2010.

"I don't mean to say the staffs at USC and UCLA are going to Pop Warner games, but they're getting wind of guys way early."

Technology has made identifying potential recruiting targets much simpler, as coaches can now just watch a prospect's highlight reel on YouTube. They can also follow the prospect's daily routine via social media. A personal in-home visit is not required. 

But offering a boy who probably thinks going out with a girl for three weeks constitutes a long-term relationship makes most adults a little squeamish. It sounds a little predatory.

The NCAA has no rules against offering scholarships to players in middle school. It is game on. And there is a method to all of this madness.

UCLA is on a roll. The Bruins are two-time Pac-12 South champions. UCLA's class of 2013 was ranked No. 7 by 247Sports. Football programs that are trending up need to keep their names in the news. In the recruiting world, publicity is tantamount to success.

Stone is entering high school in a state that is the holy grail of recruiting. Building a pipeline into Texas is high on any head coach's list of priorities, especially a high-profile school in Texas. 

Southlake's Carroll High School has won eight state titles in football. It has produced elite talent, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniels and New York Jets quarterback Greg McElroy. The school now has an incoming freshman who will be associated with UCLA.

Football players talk to each other about recruiting, especially regarding which schools they are interested in and which schools have offered them. Freshman usually do not have a lot to offer in those conversations—except for Stone. 

He may never commit to UCLA. Or he may remember the school that first offered him a scholarship and sign with the Bruins. He may recruit his teammates to sign with UCLA if they are being recruited by the Bruins. He will talk about UCLA on the Longhorn Network. That type of recruiting advantage is priceless. 

In the dog-eat-dog world of recruiting, any advantage seized outweighs the criticism that follows. 

The Bruins have one-upped the state's two flagship universities—the University of Texas and Texas A&M—by offering Stone right under their noses. 

In 2017, we will find out if Stone is wearing powder blue, burnt orange or maroon under center. In the meantime, the madness will continue. 

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UCLA has offered an athletic scholarship to quarterback Lindell Stone (Dawson Middle School, Southlake , Texas), according to an ESPN report. The 6' 2", 190-pound 15-year-old just finished eighth grade...

Read the full article on Bleacher Report...

It's best not to listen to head coach Brian Kelly when he names a starting quarterback. He has spent his Notre Dame days changing quarterbacks more than your local gas station changes its prices. If you are a quarterback on the depth chart and Kelly is the coach, there is a great chance you are going to see playing time at some point.

So when Tommy Rees was named the starter, it's best to stick your fingers in your ear and scream at the top of your lungs. We can't hear you, Coach Kelly.

Sure, it's pretty obvious Rees will be the starter with Everett Golson suspended, but when will Kelly pull him out? When will panic begin to set in? When will Kelly get frustrated after a poor throw and put in Andrew Hendrix? 

You know it's bound to happen sooner or later.

The good news is that all of that talk can be pushed to the side for at least a week. Notre Dame begins the season with one of its easier games when Temple will make its way to South Bend. The Owls only won four games in their first season in the Big East and had a dreadful defense that couldn't prevent a faucet from leaking.

Temple had the worst defense in the Big East, allowing 436 total yards to Big East opponents, with 199 of them being allowed on the ground. Notre Dame won't need a month of practice to figure out a game plan. These numbers play right into what Rees is good at, and it should result in an easy victory for the home team.

Rees isn't a quarterback who you want throwing the ball around 30-plus times. He isn't going to put up the sexy numbers or win any Heisman Trophies. Even against a subpar team such as South Florida can result in a loss, as the Bulls went into Notre Dame Stadium in 2011 and left with a win after Rees threw two costly interceptions.

The new starting quarterback is more of a game-manager for the Irish. As long as he plays within his limits and doesn't try to do too much, he will be just fine. Rees came in on backup duty throughout last year's undefeated regular season and thrived in a limited role.

He saw action in nine games and only had one performance of more than 15 pass attempts. His completion percentage of 57.6 and 436 passing yards aren't spectacular, but he made the key plays when needed to in order to help the Irish win games. Managing the game is what Rees will be asked to do, and it will be the formula to a victory against Temple.

The Irish have a handful of solid running backs that can be counted on to perform at a high level. Those guys should be licking their chops going up against a team that was ranked 102nd in the country in rushing defense. The Owls allowed 301 rushing yards to Villanova and 534 rushing yards to Army, which included nine rushing touchdowns. The Irish should run the ball 40 times and call it a day.

Even though Kelly has a short fuse with quarterbacks, it would take a colossal mistake for Rees to mess this up. This isn't a game against Michigan or USC; it's Temple, a squad that has low expectations under first-year head coach Matt Rhule. It is Week 2 where we will see what Rees is really made of, when the Irish travel to Michigan Stadium to play the Wolverines.

Until then, Rees will remain the starter once Week 1 is in the books.

 

Note: All stats come from cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted.

Follow @Randy_Chambers

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It is Thursday and that means the mailbag, people. We've only got three questions today, not because of a lack of submissions, but because I shut it down to get to this good long emailed question that we got. So, here we go!

Should you be cautiously optimistic about the Hokies? Absolutely.

Last year, especially on defense, the Hokies were uncharacteristically bad. I think this year they get back to, as my buddy The Key Play terms it, a real Bud Foster defense. That is a great base to build off of from a ball-stopping, get-off-the-field-and-give-your-offense-chances standpoint.

On offense, the staff shakeup is going to help. People are worried about new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, but I think we'll see a lot more of what he did at Temple than what he had to be at Auburn. Virginia Tech has some traditional role-fillers and given that slate, I think Loeffler can get good production out of them.

The Coastal Division is 100 percent up-for-grabs this year. Depending on who you read, or believe, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia Tech are all going to win the title. The only teams no one is giving a shot to are Duke, Pitt and Virginia. In other words, the bulk of the division is in the hunt, and that means it will boil down to close games in a tight race.

If the Hokies can get back to playing more mistake-free football, those close games could go their way and boom, they are right back in Charlotte after missing out in 2012.

Can they? Yes sir.

The issue is will they. The good thing is that Clemson's team is set up to exploit the currently existing weaknesses of the South Carolina team. The bad thing is the Gamecocks have a year to work out those weaknesses, most notably in the secondary.

Clemson versus South Carolina is not a big talent-gap rivalry. It is a who-is-better-prepared and who-goes-out-and-gets-it type of game. This is not the current Alabama-Tennessee gulf or the Stanford-Cal fjord that currently exists. This is a game that approach and execution decide, and right now Steve Spurrier is flat out whipping Dabo Swinney's behind.

The Gamecocks have won four in a row and are getting ready to go to five, and at some point, someone on that Tigers roster has to say they have had enough.

Does that happen this year? We'll see.

Got this email from my guy @MajewskiTony

Curious on your take of the B1G's current state. I'm up in Minneapolis so I consider the Gopher's my #2 team due to family allegiances. Unfortunately, the local everything dogs on this squad nonstop for it's decades of failing to reach the top half of the B1G. Which brings me to my question ... With the top 2 in the B1G looking locked in with OSU and Mich, who do you see making a move to join them in the top 3/4 of the conference over the next 4 years. Is it going to be the usual suspects in Mich St & Wisconsin or does anyone else have a shot? Do you see any of the bottom half teams making a move for consistent success?
Personally, I think that now is the time to shift the perceived B1G rankings if you're a team like Minnesota or Indiana in the bottom half to try to make that jump to that 8-9 win range consistently. If you're a team like Northwestern, you can try to get yourself in the top 3 consistently.
-Tony

Good question, right? That's what I said when I read it.

I think leaving Penn State out of the top four is a mistake. I know about the sanctions, but I also realize everything else you're saying and totally agree that the league is in such flux that anyone can jump into the top quarter of the conference. Including the Nittany Lions.

Personally, I think Michigan State and Wisconsin will be the next two teams, behind Ohio State and Michigan. Unless, of course, Gary Andersen flames out and Mark Dantonio gets a new job. 

I don't think the bottom-half teams make a move, BUT that is 100 percent because I have no confidence in them in any regard. I don't trust their recruiting. I don't trust their coaching. I don't trust them to win the games that matter. I just have a hard time trusting them to walk through that door that we both see is hanging wide open for them.

Nebraska, in my opinion, should be the obvious choice to join the Buckeyes and the Wolverines, but after Taylor Martinez, I'm not sure what happens to the Cornhuskers. Martinez put up big numbers last season and has developed as a quarterback, and once he leaves, they will be back in the "find a quarterback" mode that can sink a season.

Out of the teams you mentioned, Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern, I think it is obvious Northwestern is the leader. The Wildcats are already a top-half team and have the ability, through their stability, to push closer to the top. This is their window, with transition in Madison and bad offense for Spartans, to steal some wins and get better.

Although you did not mention it, I'll also toss in the newcomers: Rutgers and Maryland. I think both of them are in better positions than Minnesota or Indiana in the long run. Save for the Rutgers scandal, both Maryland and New Jersey produce some quality talent that, thanks to the Big Ten, both schools will have a better shot at keeping in state.

As for Minnesota specifically, it doesn't look good. Not because the Gophers aren't going to try, I truly think they will put in the effort to be good. More because they lack the most important natural resource in college football, local talent.

If they can turn this roster into some mean jokers who like to fight in a phone booth, they have a shot. That means redshirting guys and using strength and conditioning to close the talent gap. It won't make them the best team in the Big Ten, but as Wisconsin has shown us, it can help you win some tough battles.

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Georgia has picked up another marquee in-state recruit, 4-star cornerback Malkom Parrish.

Parrish is a great commitment for Georgia, especially considering the competition. Georgia Tech and Florida were both listed as "warm" options on his 247Sports interest list before the commitment, but of the two, only the Yellow Jackets made him an offer.

Beating an in-state rival for a commitment is always a big deal—especially when it's the commitment of a major recruit.

Parrish is the No. 6 recruit from the state of Georgia, according to the 247Composite ratings.

Ed Hooper of The Valdosta Daily Times, reported the commitment via Twitter:

Jake Rowe of Rivals.com reports on why Parrish chose Georgia over Georgia Tech:

So what was it that made the four-star prospect commit to the Bulldogs over the Yellow Jackets?

"(It was) the coaching staff," he said. "The coaching staff let me know that I can't go wrong with Georgia. They send many people to the NFL and they also have a great education. I think that is the place for me."

Parrish is ranked as the No. 10 cornerback in the nation, per the 247Composite ratings. Interestingly enough though, according to Radi Nabulsi of ESPN on Twitter, he's never even played cornerback:

That said, Parrish is obviously an extremely talented recruit. Check out his stats from last season, per Nabulsi on Twitter:

With his addition, Georgia's 2014 class now has nine commitments, and Richt and his staff are starting to build momentum.

The Bulldogs just recently landed the commitment of 4-star running back Nick Chubb—another big in-state recruit—and six of Georgia's nine commitments are in-state recruits.

For those hoping to see better in-state recruiting from the Bulldogs in 2014, that's a good stat to hold on to. 

Still, of the top 15 recruits from the state, according to the 247Composite ratings, six have committed to out-of-state programs. Three of those recruits have committed to Clemson, and only two so far have picked Georgia.

The Bulldogs have definitely stepped up their game, but there's still much work to be done.

The good news is that momentum is one of the key factors in recruiting, and right now, Georgia has plenty of it.

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Kentucky recruiting well is nothing new.

After all John Calipari routinely signs top classes filled with players who exploit the NBA's one-and-done rule, leaving a quick but lasting mark on the football program.

Wait, what? Kentucky is in the top 10 in the 247Sports.com composite for the class of 2014 in football too?

FOOTBALL?

As Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops—and brother of Kentucky head football coach Mark Stoops—would say, "hello!"

The program currently ranks seventh in the current composite index and has been on fire lately. Six of the Wildcats' 15 commitments in the class have come in the month of June. 

Before we get into the specifics, you did read that correctly. Mark Stoops has received commitments from six prospects in 12 days.

Stew on that for a moment.

The group of recent commitments is headlined by 6'3", 220-pound defensive end Denzel Ware.

The 4-star prospect from Crestview, Fla., re-committed to the Wildcats over offers from several big-time schools, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Florida, Georgia and others. The nation's 91st-ranked player was initially a Seminole commitment but flipped to Kentucky when Stoops took the helm before taking a step back to evaluate.

Safety Darius West also made the pledge to join Big Blue Nation this month. The 6'0", 195-pounder from Lima, Ohio is a 4-star prospect who chose the Wildcats over a plethora of major offers—including Notre Dame and Louisville.

Eight of Kentucky's commitments in the class of 2014 hail from the state of Ohio, which has been a primary focus for Stoops' staff. Those efforts in Ohio have paid off due in large part to tight ends coach Vince Marrow, who's listed as the primary recruiter for all eight of those players. 

See a pattern?

Kentucky is playing with the big boys on the recruiting trail. That doesn't always translate to success on the gridiron, but it certainly doesn't hurt.

Not only is it recruiting well—it's pouring the appropriate amount of resources into the football program to be competitive.

The athletics department is budgeting $12,587,627 into the football program this season, a 33 percent increase from last year according to Kentucky.com. That number includes an increase of $2.4 million in the budget for salaries for the football staff. For perspective, the coaching staff earned a total of $5,642,909 last season according to the USA Today coaching database. 

That's a step in the right direction, but it's not enough to compete just yet.

According to Forbes, LSU spent $59 million over a three-year span between 2009-11, for an average of $19.6 million per year. Arkansas' was $24.5 million in 2011 and Auburn's was $39.5 million, according to USA Today.

This comes on the heels of major renovation projects to Commonwealth Stadium including a room specifically dedicated to recruiting.

Kentucky is recruiting with the big boys and clearly making an effort from a resources standpoint to eat at the big boy table. 

It takes time to build a program, and everything Kentucky has done since Stoops took the job in December 2012 indicates that he intends to make Kentucky more than just a basketball school.

Can he do it? We shall see. But so far, so good.

 

Follow @BarrettSallee

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