RB Sony Michel chooses Georgia The week keeps getting better for the University of Georgia. Three days after ESPN 150 tight end Jeb Blazevich committed, ESPN 150 running back Sony Michel (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) chose the Bulldogs during an announcement on ESPNU. The No. 16 overall prospect in the country, Michel took visits to Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Notre Dame before finalizing his decision.
LSU suspends RB Jeremy Hill LSU has suspended Jeremy Hill indefinitely after its leading running back was arrested early Saturday morning for allegedly punching another man in the side of the head outside a Baton Rouge bar near campus. Coach Les Miles, in a statement released Monday by the Tigers, said he would "let this incident play out through the legal system before making any additional comments."
A&M to add nearly 20,000 seats A&M to add nearly 20,000 seats Texas A&M football stormed into the national consciousness during the 2012 season with a new conference, a new coach and a new Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Soon, the Aggies will have a bigger, better, newer Kyle Field to call home. The Texas A&M board of regents announced approval of the redevelopment of the Aggies' longtime home with plans to expand capacity to 102,500, making it the largest stadium in the SEC and the third-largest stadium in college football. Only Michigan and Penn State have greater capacity, and A&M's construction will just surpass Tennessee's 102,455 capacity at Neyland Stadium. Kyle Field's current capacity is 82,589.
UGA makes offer to 15-year-old Georgia returned to the same school where it found noseguard Chris Mayes in an attempt to add another talented defensive lineman to its 2016 signing class. Bulldogs assistant Chris Wilson offered a scholarship to 15-year-old Broadarious Hamm (Griffin, Ga./Spalding) on Monday.
SEC Network to broadcast 24/7 Southeastern Conference sports -- including football and basketball -- will have a 24-hour-a-day home when the SEC Network launches in August 2014. The SEC and ESPN announced a 20-year agreement and rights extension on Thursday. The deal includes a new television network and digital platform that will show SEC sports 24/7, including more than 1,000 events in the first year. Included in the programming will be 45 football games, more than 100 men's and more than 60 women's basketball games, 75 baseball games and selected events from the other 17 SEC sports. The network will also feature studio shows and coverage of special events such as signing day and football pro days. Read more http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/9235260/sec-espn-announce-sec-network-2014
Ashely Lowery hurt in car accident Kentucky safety Ashely Lowery is hospitalized in Georgia with injuries suffered in a car accident Friday night. Wildcats athletic department spokesman Tony Neely confirmed that Lowery is being treated in a hospital but said the school was still gathering details about the accident, where he is hospitalized and his condition.
Coaches vote to stay at 8 SEC games The short-term answer for the SEC is to keep the number of conference games at eight, but coaches and athletic directors agreed Wednesday that a move to nine is probably inevitable. The head coaches voted 13-1 to stay at eight conference games. The only coach voting for nine conference games was Alabama's Nick Saban.
Shaun Kitchens pleads guilty Former Auburn football player Shaun Kitchens pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to serve three years in prison. Lee County Circuit Judge Christopher Hughes gave Kitchens, 21, a 15-year split sentence on Thursday requiring him to spend three years in jail for a robbery committed with teammates at an Auburn trailer park in March 2011, according to court documents. A probation hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9. Kitchens' attorney, Todd Crutchfield, declined comment. Kitchens, who also received a $2,000 fine, and three teammates were charged with five counts of first-degree robbery and one count of first-degree burglary. Mike McNeil was sentenced in April to 15 years, and also must serve at least three under a guilty plea. Antonio Goodwin was convicted and is serving 15 years . Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football...s-player-shaun-kitchens-pleads-guilty-robbery
QB Kyle Allen commits to A&M Quarterback Kyle Allen (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) knew he wanted to work quickly through the recruiting process. ESPN's No. 128 overall player and No. 5 pocket passer began doing his homework on various schools throughout the country very early, and when it came time to narrow things to a final destination, he didn't take long at all. On Tuesday, Allen announced his final five schools: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and UCLA. Less than a week later, the 6-foot-3, 197-pound quarterback took to Twitter to announce he was ready to put an end to the process.
Mississippi St. to get penalized The NCAA will announce infractions for Mississippi State's football program on Friday morning, a source told ESPN. The NCAA announced Friday's 11 a.m. ET conference call, but did not specify which sport it involved. Because Mississippi State has gone before the NCAA Committee on Infractions, the Bulldogs' improprities are major in nature. A source confirmed that former wide receivers coach Angelo Mirando is a key element to the infractions and that coach Dan Mullen is not expected to be directly implicated. In August, Mississippi State confirmed an ongoing NCAA investigation into a "potential recruiting irregularity." The school said the investigation was "nearing an end" and it would cooperate fully. In July, Mississippi State disassociated from an athletics booster because of "impermissible contact" with a student-athlete. Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football...infractions-mississippi-state-bulldogs-source
The NCAA penalized Mississippi State's football program with two years of probation, a loss of four total scholarships, and a loss of four recruiting visits, and cited a former assistant coach for unethical conduct for major recruiting violations. According to the NCAA, a since-disassociated booster assisted a player in securing a car, provided cash to a recruit on multiple locations and told the recruit if he did not take a visit to another school, he would be paid $6,000. Mississippi State said the athlete (defensive back Will Redmond) has been reinstated after paying back $2,660 in benefits, forfeiting a year of eligibility and being withheld from the first five games of the 2013 season. "We're pleased the committee on infractions accepted our self-imposed actions and Mississippi State's full cooperation," said MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin. Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9352487/mississippi-state-bulldogs-put-probation-ncaa
Tennessee running back Marlin Lane is back with the team after missing much of spring Tennessee running back Marlin Lane is back with the team after missing much of spring practice for disciplinary reasons.
Nick Saban wary of Alabama letdown Alabama football coach Nick Saban wants to make sure the defending national champions take nothing for granted. Saban said Tuesday during an Athens (Tenn.) Area Chamber of Commerce benefit dinner at Tennessee Wesleyan College that he recently showed his team a tape of James "Buster" Douglas' stunning 1990 knockout of Mike Tyson as a warning to avoid complacency. "You become the target," said Saban, whose team is seeking its third straight BCS title and fourth in the past five years. "Everybody's got our name circled. Everyone wants to beat us. You've got to get ready for that. When the game comes, everybody wants to win. Who prepared to win the game the right way?" Saban's visit to a town less than 60 miles south of Tennessee's campus produced more than 100 complaints over the past several months, according to Athens Area Chamber of Commerce president Rob Preston. After all the tumult preceding his appearance, Saban received a hero's welcome in a setting that resembled a booster event. Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football...ban-guarding-alabama-crimson-tide-complacency
David Cornwell commits to Alabama It took some time, but David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./Norman North) -- the ESPN 150's No. 1 pocket-passing quarterback -- finally ended up where he wanted to go all along. Cornwell committed to Alabama on Friday, just minutes after fellow Crimson Tide quarterback target Jacob Park (Goose Creek, S.C./Stratford) gave a verbal pledge to Georgia. "I had a lot of contemplation and the meeting with coach Saban went 10 times better than I thought it would," Cornwell said. "We were in his office and talked about everything. I told him, 'I'm ready to wrap this up if you are.' "We went down the hall and the other coaches were dancing and were happy. I was really happy." Read more http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...t-david-cornwell-commits-alabama-crimson-tide
Florida's Antonio Morrison arrested Florida Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested early Sunday morning for allegedly punching a nightclub bouncer because he was not given a discounted rate for admission. According to a Gainesville Police Department report, two officers on patrol witnessed an altercation at 2:15 a.m. at the entrance to the Kava Lounge on West University Avenue. Upon arriving, the officers spoke with 25-year-old Omar Al Ajlani, who said he had been attacked and punched in the head. Police arrested Morrison and charged him with misdemeanor simple battery. Morrison was booked into the Alachua County Jail at 6:03 a.m. Morrison, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound sophomore, is expected to be the Gators' starter at middle linebacker. Read more http://espn.go.com/college-football...n-florida-gators-facing-simple-battery-charge
THE STOOPS ERA Mark Stoops is here in Hoover at his first SEC Media Days, flying a little bit (a lot) under the radar right now because the Johnny Football circus is in the building. It’s crazy, y’all. More on that later, but you folks care most about the Cats, so here’s everything Stoops said in a private interview session with only the local media. He’ll be at the podium in the big ballroom here shortly. Until then … MARK STOOPS ON WHETHER HE’S ANXIOUS ABOUT HIS FIRST SEC MEDIA DAYS: “Anxious? Yeah, sure. First time going through this.” GOT ANY JOKES? “No, I don’t think so. I pretty much will stick right to the facts and talk about our program and what we’re doing.” ON HOW THE SUMMER HAS GONE FOR THE TEAM: “Summer’s going good. Our strength coaches tell us that the players have been on point. They’ve been working extremely hard, are on time to things and really doing a good job. So I’m happy. We brought three great leaders with us here today, and they’re doing a good job of keeping people accountable in the summer.” http://blogs.courier-journal.com/ukbeat/2013/07/17/mark-stoops-meets-the-sec-press/
Will Muschamp gets hefty raise Florida has given coach Will Muschamp a raise after an 11-win season. School president Bernie Machen and athletic director Jeremy Foley upped Muschamp's salary by $250,000 annually, making him the ninth highest paid coach in the Southeastern Conference.
NCAA rules Kolton Houston eligible Kolton Houston's three-year struggle to regain NCAA eligibility is finally over. The Georgia offensive lineman passed his most recent NCAA drug screening, allowing him to join the Bulldogs' active roster for the first time in his college career. He learned of his reinstatement in a call from UGA director of sports medicine Ron Courson on Thursday, Houston's birthday.
Alabama Football: Crimson Tide's Receiving Corps Will Be Explosive in 2013 Everybody is talking about what kind of season sophomore receiver Amari Cooper could have in 2013, and for good reason. He racked up 59 catches for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. But don't forget about the rest of Alabama's receiving corps. No. 2 receiver Kevin Norwood was hampered last season due to injury. His basic 2012 numbers (29 catches, 461 yards, four touchdowns) don't accurately reflect the potential he has out on the field. CJ Milner of DraftPanthers.com wrote in May: Much more at link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming
Broker says Manziel was paid $7,500 An East Coast autograph broker told ESPN on Tuesday that Johnny Manziel was paid $7,500 for signing approximately 300 mini- and full-sized helmets on Jan. 11-12 while he was attending the Walter Camp Football Foundation event. The broker played two cell phone videos for ESPN showing Manziel signing white Texas A&M helmets and footballs laid out on a bed in a hotel room. The video does not show Manziel
