SEC Football Roster Management 2015-16 Edition

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 21h21 hours ago

We've updated our 2016 MU unofficial scholarship breakdown with the Chris Black news- http://bit.ly/1RlGCtS .

Graduate transfer WR Chris Black headed to MU from Alabama for final year of eligibility

With the roster as we know it now, MU is expecting 4 upperclassman WRs next year. 2 have committed in the past 5 days.

With Black's commitment, MU's class of 2016 midpoint moves just off Bunch Springs Rd. about 2 miles west of Berryville, Ark.

[jbcarol]

Pete Scantlebury ‏@PeteScantlebury 2h2 hours ago

That update on Marvin Terry -- developing situation, but hearing it's possible (and perhaps likely) he doesn't sign anywhere today.

I've talked to a few people at South Oak Cliff High School who didn't know what was going on with Terry.


South Oak Cliff D-lineman was first verbal for Odom

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/TomMurphyADG/status/694979518654644224

[jbcarol]

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 51m51 minutes ago

I really believe director of player personnel Bob Welton (who came from NFL) has been as big as any hire Butch has made at TN. Great evals.

[jbcarol]

http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2016/feb/03/williams-should-return-2016-season/

[jbcarol]

Florida's Treon Harris moving from quarterback to wide receiver for spring practice

Harris began 2015 as the Gators' starting quarterback, lost the job to Will Grier and then reclaimed it when Grier was suspended for a year because he used performance-enhancing drugs.

The Gators will have transfer Luke Del Rio and early-enrollee freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask at quarterback during the spring. Harris completed 50.6 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and six interceptions in 2015.

Austin Appleby ‏@AAppleby12 17h17 hours ago

The QB crew! Great group of guys gonna do big things this year!  #QBs #GatorNation

[jbcarol]

Jason Butt ‏@JasonHButt 37m37 minutes ago

Kirby Smart said he's 'scared to death' given the unknown at place-kicker: http://www.macon.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/article58625168.html ...

Has come back to bite others

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 1h1 hour ago

On the blog: RB Morgan Steward retires from football after battling hip injury for the past 18 months- http://bit.ly/1ocZoHC .

Steward is the 10th of 19 signees in the class of 2012 who did not finish their eligibility. The Tigers have 11 scholarship seniors now.

So if MU sticks to form in selecting 4 senior captains, more than a third of its class will be a captain.

[jbcarol]

Ole Miss QB Ryan Buchanan giving up football

Buchanan told OMSpirit.com that he is walking away from the game to focus on his studies and future employment opportunities.

[jbcarol]

Anthony Dasher ‏@AnthonyDasher1 Feb 5 Athens, GA

Georgia confirms that LB Roquan Smith will miss spring practice after wrist surgery but will be back for summer drills and fall practice.


This time last year he opted to not sign his NLI after UCLA - UGa conflict over coaching changes waiting to be announced after National Signing Day.

[jbcarol]

Jon Hale ‏@JonHale_CJ 42m42 minutes ago

New Story | UK Fr. DB Will Jackson dismissed for violation of team rules http://cjky.it/1T4sjZT

Kentucky football freshman defensive back Will Jackson has been dismissed from the team for an undisclosed violation of team rules...

Jackson, a former two-star recruit who was a late addition to UK's 2015 recruiting class, redshirted ... Washington, D.C., native picked UK over offers from Connecticut, N.C. State, Toledo, Western Michigan, Old Dominion and Nevada.

Kentucky returns its top four cornerbacks next season...

[jbcarol]

Muschamp sends Shaq Davidson packing.  Clears a roster spot.

[jbcarol]

Richard Davenport Retweeted
Grayson Gunter ‏@graysongunter 49m49 minutes ago

3 months after surgery and I'm finally cleared 🙌🏻

[jbcarol]

Austin Kim ‏@AustinKKim 17h17 hours ago

Tanner Houck said Mizzou running back (now pitcher) Tyler Hunt has looked good in practice. Said Hunt is rusty but has a lively arm.

Jamieson said Reggie McClain will be Mizzou's Friday starter and Tanner Houck will be the Saturday starter.

[jbcarol]

State TE Gus Walley, OL Jake Thomas end career due to injuries

Dan Mullen referenced that Walley's career was in question last season after sustaining multiple concussions...

Walley played his last game against Arkansas.

Mullen said Thomas "was going through some injury stuff" in late October... He will reportedly stay at Mississippi State to finish his degree.

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 18h18 hours ago

On the blog: Former walk-on WR Eric Laurent earns scholarship- http://bit.ly/1RnUqSa .

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 15h15 hours ago

He waited a long time, but Christian Bell is happy to finally be at #Alabama: http://ow.ly/YOb6J 

Christian Bell was taken aback when only weeks before National Signing Day, Alabama coaches told him he'd have to grayshirt if he wanted to join the program.

That's not easy news to hear for a high school star like Bell who was excited to play for the powerhouse just 45 minutes from his Hoover residence. More than anything, a late grayshirt offer can be an ego shot to a player used to being the standout.

After the initial shock was over, Bell opted to stick with the Crimson Tide and use that extra semester of free time constructively. Alabama coaches thought he needed to get bigger and stronger, and that's what he set out to do.

"I knew I had some things to work on," Bell said, "so it wasn't that hard of a decision to make."

While his fellow class of 2015 recruits were getting accustomed to college life in Tuscaloosa, Bell was back in Hoover putting on 20 pounds and working on his quickness. He hired a personal trainer, volunteered as a little league coach and kept as busy as he could.

"It was a very exciting opportunity that my trainer gave to me," Bell said. "I learned that I love it. Now that I did that, I'm definitely gonna have to do that if football doesn't work out."

Now up to 6-foot-4, 240-pounds, Bell projects as a JACK linebacker for the Tide.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello  23m23 minutes ago
Source confirms tight end Chris Laye has left the Auburn football program. http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2016/02/auburn_tight_end_says_hes_leav.html ...

The redshirt sophomore made the announcement on social media Saturday afternoon, a mere three days before the start of spring practices. A source also confirmed to AL.com Laye has left the team.

Laye was expected to play a significant role at tight end this season after making three appearances while sharing time with Jalen Harris in 2015. He first played against Georgia late in the season.

[jbcarol]

Mizzou:

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison  Feb 26
Our position primers continue with the offensive line- http://bit.ly/1TDwcoX .

[jbcarol]

A.J. Hilliard was not listed on Texas A&M's active roster as spring practice opened up Monday. That's because the linebacker is retiring.

Hilliard will hang 'em up after an injury riddled career

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman Feb 29
http://tl.gd/n_1socnkc

Kevin Sumlin said DL Deshawn Washington is no longer with the program (not at school), LB A.J. Hilliard and DL Justin Manning are on medical scholarships (no longer on active roster).

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 53m53 minutes ago

On the blog: MU sophomore guard Andy Bauer retires from football due to lingering hip issues- http://bit.ly/1U6SGQJ .

We've updated our unofficial scholarship breakdown for 2016 with the Bauer news- http://bit.ly/1RlGCtS .

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports  17m17 minutes ago
Nick Saban provided an update to Tony Brown's suspension status: http://ow.ly/Zo14x 

Tony Brown was back practicing with Alabama on Friday but he's not out of the woods yet.

The reserve rising junior cornerback is still facing suspensions after he was sent home for a "violation of team rules" at the Cotton Bowl in December. Alabama has never explicitly stated what Brown's violation was or why it continues to impact him.

"He is facing some suspensions," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "When I get the final data on that, I'll let you know."

Brown didn't participate in either the Cotton Bowl or the national championship game at the end of last season. The former five-star did participate in Alabama's championship parade in January.

[jbcarol]

ICYMI:

https://twitter.com/RoyLangIII/status/707002016262828032

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 7h7 hours ago

UF kicker Hardin, OL Dorsey leaving team - via @Gator_sports http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20160314/ARTICLES/160319863?tc=cr ...

Not the dentist

[jbcarol]

Missouri has lost one of the six running backs on its spring roster, as sophomore Chase Abbington has decided to leave the program

Missouri has lost one of the six running backs on its spring roster, as sophomore Chase Abbington has decided to leave the program.

Junior Ish Witter is the only remaining running back on the current roster with significant game experience.

Pete Scantlebury ‏@PeteScantlebury 11h11 hours ago

With the news of Chase Abbington's departure, 18 of the 40 #Mizzou signees in 2012/2013 did not finish their careers in Columbia.

And, with the status of Clay Rhodes still up in the air, there's the potential for that number to rise.

[jbcarol]

Jim Kleinpeter ‏@JimKleinpeter

#LSU coach Les Miles: There's enough speed to play at LB. Devin White ids looking really good, Duke Riley improving. Arden Key nice spring

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 17h17 hours ago

Chase Abbington and Malik Cuellar have decided to leave the football team, per Barry Odom

We've also updated our unofficial scholarship breakdown- http://bit.ly/1RlGCtS .

Now that 2015 has rolled into 2016, we here at the blog decided it was a good time to check in with the Tigers' unofficial expected scholarship count for next season.

Remember: the maximum the Tigers can hold next fall is 85. We've included 2016 commitments as well.

Quarterback (4)

Drew Lock (Soph., 6-4/205) -- 12/8

Jack Lowary (Soph., 6-4/235)

Marvin Zanders (Soph., 6-1/185) -- 1/0

Micah Wilson (Fr., 6-3/205)

Running Back (6)

Ish Witter (Jr., 5-10/190) -- 24/1

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 32m32 minutes ago

Kirby Smart's next trick: Beefing up UGA's walk-on program http://sec.news/22zWoHC

Kirby Smart will explore every available resource to augment the talent on the team. He's revamping things daily in recruiting scholarship players, but the staff will now squeeze all it can out of the walk-on program, too.

Those players still chiefly funnel to scout teams, but they also build depth in spring and fall camp after NFL early entries, rehabs or transfers. Talented walk-ons make the scholarship players better in practice. A strong walk-on program has multiple candidates that are deserving of scholarships.

UGA has welcomed another preferred walk-on from Burke County to the program.  Caleeb Roberson might have been good enough to earn a scholarship at the FCS level. Given the ability he flashed in high school, he could've been an impact player in Division I-AA football.

He will attend UGA as a preferred walk-on, but there's more here than the program adding a dual-threat who ran and threw for more than 1,000 yards in multiple seasons. Roberson will add depth at running back when he hits the practice field. He stands about six feet tall and weighs 180 pounds so he'll need to put on weight, too.

"Coach (Glenn) Schumann at Georgia called me up a few weeks ago," Burke County coach Eric Parker said. "He introduced himself and told me what he did with the walk-on program at Alabama. They probably had one of the better walk-on programs in the country. When he came over from Alabama to coach inside linebackers, Kirby kind of told him oh by the way he wanted him to keep doing what he was doing at Alabama with the walk-ons at Georgia."

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 18h18 hours ago

MU signed 13 OL from 2012-15 who still have eligibility. 5 left, 1 is in limbo. Where does that leave the '16 line?- http://bit.ly/1WOQhsi

If everything had gone as planned over the past four years, Missouri would have 13 scholarship offensive linemen in spring camp right now. Instead, at last check during Tuesday's practice session, the Tigers had eight healthy ones good to go, and that's counting Tyrell Jacobs, who was not an offensive lineman at this point last month.

How did the Tigers get to this point?

Let's look back at the linemen Missouri signed from 2012-15 and see where everybody went. Evan Boehm and Mitch Hall won't count in this study, as both of them ended up playing out their eligibility and wouldn't be around for this spring anyway.

Star ratings come from the 247Sports.com composite measures. Players who are no longer with the team are in italics.

[jbcarol]

Coach Bret Bielema announced Monday that sophomore offensive lineman Josh Allen and junior defensive back Cornelius Floyd are no longer with the program

Floyd was removed from the team for failing to meet Arkansas' academic standards. Bielema said Floyd could return to the team in the summer.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/715280941048967168

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 1h1 hour ago

RB Damon Mitchell, Arkansas hope third position change is the charm http://sec.news/22S3KXg

[jbcarol]

 ESPN SEC ‏@ESPN_SEC 4h4 hours ago

Changing places: Five SEC players moving positions this spring http://es.pn/1q9mVup

Jason Croom, Tennessee (WR to TE): After spending his entire career at wide receiver, Croom is moving to tight end for his fifth and possibly final season at Tennessee

Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas (DL to OL)

Austin Golson, Auburn (C to LT): If you ask Tigers coach Gus Malzahn...

Jeremy Liggins, Ole Miss (TE to OT): And let's not forget, the 6-foot-3, 302-pound senior came to Ole Miss [LSU?] as a quarterback.

[jbcarol]

Muschamp announced on Monday that redshirt senior linebacker Darius English will be out for the rest of spring practice with a quad injury

"He pulled a quad pretty good, so it's a struggle with that right now," Muschamp said of English.

English led the Gamecocks with 4.5 sacks last season. He recorded 28 tackles last season and is expected to be one of the key contributors on South Carolina's defense this season.

English isn't the only Gamecock who will miss the remainder of the spring. Muschamp also revealed redshirt sophomore wide receiver Terry Googer "probably" will miss the rest of the spring session with a high ankle sprain.

Muschamp said he expects to get sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez back on the field this week. Nunez has missed the past two weeks of practice with a hyperextended knee and should factor into South Carolina's quarterback competition...

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 43m43 minutes ago

Blog: Roster retention at SEC schools and why MU's 2012 class may not be as catastrophic as we think, comparitively- http://bit.ly/1UINO4Q

We've spent a lot of time and words in this space talking about the seven players who have left Missouri's program since the beginning of the new year.

We've also spent a lot of time and words in this space talking about how the gutting of the recruiting class of 2012...

Is Missouri uniquely handicapped when it comes to either of those facts?

The answer: if you're looking at the Tigers' SEC brethren...not really. In fact, they're better off.

...out of the average SEC program's signees from 2012-15, 69.1 percent finished out their eligibility at the school or are on track to do so.

Missouri's retention rate over that span is 71.7 percent, sixth in the SEC behind Alabama (I'm as surprised as you...), Auburn, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.

Hogs retained 39% of the '12 class per his calculation method.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 5h5 hours ago

Les Miles says DL Sione Teuhema has been suspended http://sec.news/22kvw9j

Miles announced Saturday afternoon that junior defensive lineman Sione Teuhema has been suspended and might not return to the team.

His younger brother Maea played started 10 games at left guard for the Tigers as a freshman in 2015.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman 3h3 hours ago

Texas A&M's official spring game depth chart:

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner ‏@MikeBBonner 14h14 hours ago

MSU has young, talented options to fill Fred Brown's spot at wide receiver.

Fred Brown became the latest casualty in the position group on Thursday. He was dismissed from the university for an academic violation.

MSU's leading wide receiver from last year, Fred Ross, missed the entire spring with a groin injury. Donald Gray, who finished with 386 yards and two touchdowns last year, was out for most of the spring with a hyperextended knee.

Through it all, MSU is left with some younger, inexperienced but talented receivers.

"Everybody out there is good obviously," quarterback Elijah Staley said. "I feel like they're all having fun. They're getting used to it. They're going to be good. Very good."

Sophomore Malik Dear produced the best spring so far with 11 receptions for 196 yards.

Redshirt freshmen Jonnas Spivey, Keith Mixon and Deddrick Thomas all posted big numbers in Mississippi State's second scrimmage.

Each will vie for a spot behind Fred Ross as the No. 2 target, which Brown was likely to hold. Ross produced a program-record 88 receptions primarily from the slot receiver position. Gabe Myles and Donald Gray both are shorter than 6 feet, but are working on moving to Brown's spot the outside.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/722115099113222148

For Ryan Parris of Madison, Ala., limited participation in Alabama's 2016 spring game might have been the beginning and the end of his college football career.

If that was it, and the parasitic amoeba fighting to take over his left eye forces him to give up on his dream, then at least he had the opportunity to run down the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of nearly 80,000 fans.

Why did an Alabama walk-on football player participate in Saturday's A-Day game when there is an amoeba attacking his eye? Three reasons. One, he loves football. Two, he loves Alabama. Three, he's really, really tough.

He also follows all of Nick Saban's rules.

On Saturday, he wouldn't talk to me about his amoeba and his long battle against the persistent little devil because talking to reporters without permission is not part of "the process." Parris doesn't fear the parasite that's doing the backstroke atop his cornea. He does, however, fear Saban.

Smart kid.

Doctors call this rare affliction Acanthamoeba keratitis. In short, a microscopic organism has invaded Ryan's eye and is threatening his vision. It's scary.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPN_SEC/status/722787639259103233

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger ‏@RossDellenger  2h2 hours ago
AM | NCAA denied #LSU TE Dillon Gordon's appeal for a 5th year. His college career is over - http://bit.ly/215YXwD

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello  1h1 hour ago
Auburn keeping eyes open for offensive lineman on transfer circuit

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger ‏@RossDellenger 14h14 hours ago

What the hell's going on with Travonte Valentine and #LSU?

He says he has a "50% chance" to return to the program http://bit.ly/1UtxuUM

Travonte Valentine, a once-highly touted high school star who was dismissed last summer from LSU, said he has a "50 percent chance" to rejoin the program and play this season.

The LSU staff, specifically coach Les Miles, has not made a decision on Valentine's future on returning, but the team has been in contact with Valentine about a potential return, the player said in an interview with The Advocate on Monday.

Valentine, a 6-foot-3 defensive tackle now weighing about 345 pounds, must complete a certain amount of classes this spring and this summer to reach eligibility for the 2016 season — something he's working toward, he said. Valentine said Auburn and Mississippi State have offered him scholarships. He included LSU on that list, too, saying the Tigers want him back.

"It's a possibility," he said Monday. "It's a 50 percent chance I can return. It's a lot that's undecided right now. I've got to think about it and talk to my family."

Valentine has visited Baton Rouge several times over the last few weeks, meeting with staff members, including defensive line coach Ed Orgeron.

Valentine, who would have three years of eligibility remaining, could be an immediate help at nose tackle in new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's 3-4 defense. It's somewhat of an unstable position. Christian LaCouture, at 307 pounds, started at nose tackle at the beginning of spring practice before the staff moved Davon Godchaux, at 293 pounds, into that role with two weeks left in spring.

Valentine's football career has been a roller coaster since he left Miami's Champagnat Catholic-Hialeah as the third-ranked defensive tackle prospect in the 2014 class.

The Southeastern Conference never ruled him eligible during his true freshman season at LSU, despite the NCAA granting him eligibility. He was allowed to participate in practice with the Tigers in 2014. Miles suspended him for spring practice in 2015 in what the coach suggested was academic in nature.

Valentine was then dismissed in July "for not following team rules," he said Monday.

Valentine's at his third school in the past year. Following his departure from LSU, he spent the fall semester at Arizona Western College, a powerhouse junior college in Yuma, Arizona. He was dismissed after an arrest in Arizona. He enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in January.

Valentine played in Arizona Western's first six games last season, registering 11 tackles and two sacks, before his dismissal. On Oct. 15, 2015, Valentine was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, according to court records obtained by The Advocate. The court dismissed the charge a month later. The arrest stemmed from a physical altercation.

[jbcarol]

Jim McElwain gives latest on suspended players, injured starter

Offensive guard Martez Ivey, who started the final eight games of last season, is recovering well from his shoulder surgery in January.

"He's been great," UF coach Jim McElwain said of Ivey during the SEC football teleconference Wednesday.

Record-setting wide receiver Antonio Callaway and quarterback Treon Harris are still serving suspensions. They've now been away from the team for four months.

"No," McElwain said when asked if there's any update on Callaway and Harris. "Status quo."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/727900959100293120

[jbcarol]

Former 4-star offensive lineman, who dominated 1A ball in the state of Tennessee in taking home Mr. Football honors and helping lead his team to the state championship game gives up football.

The bags were packed. Some of them already loaded into the car from the night before. It was move-in day for freshman football players at Tennessee.

It's also a day that Coalfield native Zach Stewart won't ever forget.

"It was the morning I was supposed to leave," Stewart said. "Around 5 a.m., my dad woke me up and told me it was bad and they took her to the hospital. It was a roller-coaster of emotions and it changed how I think about things."

Stewarts's mother, Laura, who was a middle school teacher in the Coalfield school district, died unexpectedly at the age of 42.

"Unfortunately it was the hand we were dealt," Stewart said. "You know how tight all four of us were. We never went anywhere without the all of us. You look at things differently and that's why I've decided to give up football and just be there for my family. Spend time with my brother, my dad and my grandparents because you don't know how much longer any of us have. It just gave me new perspective."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/732654287537442816

Suspended LSU rising junior defensive end Sione Teuhema may return to the Tigers in 2016, but according to LSU coach Les Miles, whether or not that happens rests in Teuhema's hands.

"It's a decision (Teuhema will) make," Miles told reporters Tuesday, according to a report from NOLA.com's Jim Kleinpeter. "He's going to take a class."

The 6-foot-4, 251-pound defensive end missed five games last season, including the final four contests. Teuhema sat out spring practice as well, but Miles indicated he is still on the roster under suspension. However, it's unclear exactly what that suspension entails.

"I don't know if that suspension will conclude ever," Miles said...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/732737561928585217

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Carvell_AJC/status/732737561928585217

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams May 24

Vols freshman RB Joe Young suffered injury near neck. Source:
`It's safe to say his career is over.' Young played in 5 games last year.