Each week during the off-season we will be doing this feature that will simply be called “This Week In College Football”. We will cover the biggest news and stories of the past week and give some opinions and analysis.
Mr Clowney goes to ?
Jadeveon Clowney is waiting til his birthday, Monday Feb 14th, to announce where he will be going to college. Since you are reading this blog then I’m going to assume you know who he is. A lot of rumors and rumblings have surfaced this week that he might not be academically eligible when push comes to shove. The New York times had an article quoting Troy Davis from Hargrove Military Academy. In this article Davis compared Clowney’s transcript to that of a non-qualifier and said there were a lot of D’s on it. Wow. So I’m going to go on the preface that the New York Times is not making this up, although I would question their motives and sleeze factor in hunting down eligibility concerns of a high school senior. I’m pretty sure that there is some type of law forbidding giving away this information. So you have some sleeze bags writers trying to outwit a dumb coach into giving them the information they want. Well, I guess we found out why this guy isn’t coaching college football. Parents, do you really want your kids playing for him? Seriously, this is a mess. Maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of it than it is but it just smells a little funny on more than one level.
Back to Clowney, he’s the #1 prospect in America and makes his decision on Monday. It’s down to South Carolina, Clemson and Alabama with Alabama fading a bit lately. If I was a betting man I’d lay the money on South Carolina. Spurrier must know something because he made two recruits, Lorenzo Mauldin and Jordan Montgomery, wait until summer to sign when he thinks some more scholarships will be available. Take a look at some of his highlights, he is clearly a man playing among boys. Keep an eye on Monday, not just for your Valentine, but also to see where Mr Clowney will take his talents. It would be really interesting to see how he matches up with the SEC.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEqF6FH3z-Y&w=480&h=390]
May The Force Be With Miami
Tate Forcier sure didn’t waste any time finding a new home. Just last week we were talking about where he would take his official visits and this week he already has a new home. Tate will be red-shirting this year so he will still have two years left when he has a chance to play in 2012. But he is in the same class as Stephen Morris. Morris is the guy that took over last year for Harris. Morris will be a sophomore this year so he will be a junior when Tate is eligible to play. Right now, Tate looks like the better option but who knows what will happen this year at Miami with their QB picture. I tell you what, it will be interesting to see.
With Tate Forcier heading down to South Beach that still leaves a few QBs for us to watch. As I talked about last week Rutgers QB Tom Savage and Kentucky QB Ryan Mossakowski are looking for new homes. And so is former Georgia QB/Punt Returner turned WR Logan Gray. Logan was the 10th rated QB in his class by Rivals but sat behind some dude named Matthew Stafford and Joe Cox and then was beaten out for the job by Aaron Murray. Last year rumor circulated that he would transfer but he decided to stay. It was a little different this year as Gray quietly made the decision that he wanted to play at a school closer to his home in Columbia, MIssouri as he worked on his masters (he will graduate this spring). Since he will graduate then he can transfer and be automatically eligible to play in that same year. So will he try to find a team that needs a one-year QB (has Houston Nutt called yet?) or will he continue as a WR (he played in all 13 games last year making 9 catches with one TD.
Janzen Jackson Withdraws From Tennessee
Just when you think Derek Dooley might be starting to steady the boat in Tennessee something always pops up. Jackson has been dealing with what has been called “personal issues” and has withdrawn from school. Derek Dooley says they are in support of Janzen and that he would be eligible if he re-enrolls for fall semester but he would need to get a waiver from the NCAA to do so. Jackson was tied for the team-lead last year with 5 interceptions and was going to be the Vols second leading returner tackler. He was named to the 2010 Coaches All-SEC second team. Jackson has been through a lot of things with Tennessee and it was looking like he was going to be “the one that made it” from Lane Kiffin’s era. I guess we will have to wait to find out. I know which way Derek Dooley is hoping it swings.
Georgia’s Running Backs Just Like Trouble
Last year both of Georgia’s top RBs lost time due to suspensions and both sat at times due to their play on the field. Their inconsistency, as well as the lackluster play of the Offensive Line, led Mark Richt to look for a guy who could come in and play RB immediately. He found his man in Isaiah Crowell. There is still a lot of work to do for Crowell to be the starter but Richt has left the door open for him and has said that he could get the ball as early as the Boise State guy. The Bulldogs also have 4-star prospect, Ken “Boo” Malcome who red-shirted last year and will be showing what he can do in spring practice in hopes of finding some playing time come fall. So all that being said, one would think that Caleb King and Washaun Ealey would be minding their best manners and busting their asses for new strength & conditioning coach Joe T. Not so fast. Ealey was suspended this past week when he failed to show up for a punishment run. There are rumors that Ealey might be looking around and the name Georgia Southern has popped up. But new Georgia Southern Head Coach Jeff Monken is not a fan of knuckle heads so I don’t know if I would buy into those rumors just yet. Ealey is currently suspended but Mark Richt has left the door open for Ealey to return if he does the right things. I hope he does do the right things because he’s a talented kid who doesn’t hasn’t seemed to apply himself. Competition breeds success and if Georgia can get the best of Crowell, Ealey and Caleb King then they could be pretty good at the running back position in Athens next year.
This Week In College Football Archives:
February 6th: National Signing Day, QB Transfers, Weslye Saunders and Uga VIII
January 30th: Iowa, Recruiting, Paul Johnson, Will Muschamp and Herschel
January 23rd: Coaching Changes, Recruiting, Oversigning, Forcier
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