Clemson’s Sammy Watkins tallied just 708 receiving yards and three TDs in 2012. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Throughout the offseason, SI.com will spotlight several teams, players and coaches with something to prove heading into the 2013 season.

Only a year removed from a dazzling freshman campaign in which he made 82 catches for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins entered the 2012 season with lofty expectations. Yet the 2011 All-America regressed in his second year, both on and off the field.

Watkins was arrested on drug-related charges in May 2012 and was subsequently suspended for the Tigers’ first two games. He then missed another game at Boston College with a stomach virus, and he played just one series in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU before leaving with an ankle injury. All things considered, it added up to a subpar sophomore effort.

Here’s a comparison of Watkins’ 2011 and 2012 receiving numbers:

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By Zac Ellis

Perhaps there’s more to blue-chip recruit Jabrill Peppers than meets the eye. A five-star prospect out of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, Peppers recently dropped a video for his rap song “Don’t Take It Personal” on YouTube.

The track, credited to J. Reall (Peppers) featuring Knew Era X, begins with the line, “It ain’t no secret through the struggle only the strong survive.” Peppers is likely referring to his recruitment here, as he continues to fend off an endless sea of scholarship offers from major-conference programs. He’s reportedly narrowed his final list of schools down to LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers and Stanford. He’s slated to make his announcement on ESPNU on May 26.

Unlike previous recruits’ rap videos, this effort isn’t half bad. Peppers appears to have a bright future ahead of him on the gridiron — he rushed for 1,552 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior — but he may have a backup career path if the whole football thing goes south.

Courtesy of the Sun Belt Conference

By Zac Ellis

The Sun Belt unveiled its new logo and branding on Sunday, replacing the old logo that has been in use since 1997.

After nearly a year of research surrounding “the impact, sustainability and core values” of the Sun Belt, the league also released “Together We Rise” as its new mantra.

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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott took in more than $3 million in 2011-12. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott pulled in more than $3 million for the calendar year 2011-12, according to tax documents released by the conference on Sunday. That number makes Scott the highest-paid conference commissioner ever, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Scott’s total surpassed that of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, whose $2.8 million in compensation made him the highest-paid conference commissioner as recently as last week. Interestingly, Scott’s compensation is almost double that of the SEC’s Mike Slive, who netted $1.6 million.

Scott took home a base salary of $1,575,000 with a bonus of $1,376,000. Other compensation accounted for $71,462 of his total.

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Sebastian the Ibis, perpetually flummoxed by the state of the NCAA’s Miami investigation. (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

Miami football coach Al Golden, basketball coach Jim Larranaga and Hurricanes’ administrators are set to appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions on June 13-15 in Indianapolis to further discuss allegations surrounding former booster Nevin Shapiro. A response from the school, as well as implicated coaches no longer with the program, is due out on Monday.

As the school prepares to defend itself from the allegations, one ex-Miami assistant says the accusations are nothing compared to what happens in the SEC, according to the Miami Herald:

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AJ McCarron meticulously examines Alabama’s latest BCS trophy for any cracks. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

You might recall that Alabama’s 2011 BCS national championship trophy suffered an unfortunate and painful ending during last season’s spring practice. Carleton Tinker, the father of former Tide longsnapper Carson Tinker, mishandled the crystal ball, allowing it to shatter into several assorted pieces.

But the broken trophy made headlines again over the weekend. A bidder reportedly paid $105,000 for its remnants at the University of Alabama celebrity golf tournament’s auction on Sunday:

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Time enough at last. (AP)

By Holly Anderson

Here follows an account of the reign of Nick Saban from the years 2015-25, commonly referred to by better historians as the Wilding Tuscaloosa era.

The year is 2015. The season, midwinter. Flush with six national titles, four of them consecutive, five at Alabama, even the agile football mind of Nick Saban atrophies with boredom. Staring listlessly at a commitment list that’s a unanimous pick for tops in the nation, a list that will bolster a roster that’s already a consensus national title favorite, in the predawn dim of National Signing Day, the crafter of college football’s most unassailable modern dynasty crumples a piece of copy paper into a wad the size of a golfball with the density of sandstone. It’s time at last, time to turn on the cheat codes, Saban’s last defense against the dulling of his edge. He needs to be tested again.

But the codes are not for his benefit. They’re for yours.

And from now on, everything’s gonna be different. Well — almost everything.
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By Holly Anderson

Cal O-line coach Zach Yenser — you remember him — has taken to the life of a Bear with what can only be called ursine ferocity:

We get X amount of $ a day for meals while recruiting I just spent X amount of $ on sushi! I couldn't help it all the rolls looked so good!—
Zach Yenser (@CalCoachYenser) May 17, 2013

@RGBearTerritory I didn't go in hungry! We at least I didn't think I was! We got fed BBQ tonight after watching a practice! #igotproblems—
Zach Yenser (@CalCoachYenser) May 17, 2013

Nick Saban is seen here in a moment of mild fury. (AP)

By Holly Anderson

Well, somebody had to ask:

Alabama coach Nick Saban sounded hurt.

“It really is a little terribly disappointing,” he said Thursday in response to comments made by Florida offensive line coach Tim Davis.

Adorable oxymoronic constructions aside: Anybody else get the feeling Saban says “disappointing” like Darth Vader says “I find your lack of faith disturbing”? Whatever; we still think it sounded like a compliment in the first place.

By Holly Anderson

Every once in a while, we forget that this is Ron English’s Twitter bio:

Usually, something reminds us; in this case, it is Eastern Michigan offering the opportunity to go skydiving with Ron English:

To outdo himself once again, if the 10th Annual Golf Outing raises $60,000, he is going to skydive. That is not all, you can join him! Through the popular crowdfunding platform IndieGoGo, fans and supporters of the football program can donate to the Time to FLY campaign and receive perks for their charitable gift. One of these gifts is the opportunity to ride from Ypsilanti to Skydive Tecumseh with Coach English, spend the day with him and eventually ride in the plane and skydive with him.