Has it really been almost a year since we last spoke of Chip Kelly’s hot tub work habits?
But it FEELS so true. RT @GoDucks: Register-Guard article on the football building was erroneous re: hot tub, it was never in the plans.—
Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) July 17, 2012
Anyway:
After a strong spring, Jameis Winston (5) seems set to be FSU’s quarterback of the future. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
The official start of the college football season may still be more than three months away, but the first glimpses of each team come every year during spring practice. Spring isn’t always an accurate barometer for what to expect in the fall, but there were still a handful of noteworthy developments over the last two months nonetheless. A redshirt freshman quarterback raised a few eyebrows with his play in Tallahassee. A couple of new coaches kicked off their debut campaigns in the SEC. And off the field, the long-awaited College Football Playoff finally started to take shape.
Here are 10 lessons we learned from spring football across the country:
Marcus Mariota went 13-of-15 for 169 yards and two scores in Oregon’s spring game. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
The offseason’s final crop of spring games wrapped up over the weekend. Here’s a look at the top news and notes from around the nation:
• Oregon: Chip Kelly may have skipped town to take over the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, but Oregon’s offense looked as explosive as ever even without its old coach. With former coordinator Mark Helfrich at the helm, the Ducks’ attack reeled off 65 points, 802 yards and nine touchdowns in the team’s spring game on Saturday. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota was sharp coming off a strong freshman campaign, finishing 13-of-15 for 169 yards and two scores in four short series of action. As the offense thrived, former Oregon tailback LaMichael James returned to Autzen Stadium to watch the scrimmage from the sidelines.
By Zac Ellis
There is never a dull moment when it comes to Oregon’s uniforms, a notion that extends even to spring practice in Eugene. The Ducks announced they will wear new Nike-designed uniforms to honor U.S. troops during Saturday’s annual spring game.
The uniforms will feature the phrase “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” written across both the home and away jersey nameplates:
New Ducks uniforms for Oregon's Spring Game: http://t.co/h1zgIVr1iF—
Heidi Burgett (@heidiburgett) April 26, 2013
Oregon starts football program Twitter account, incepts itself:
Here we go. Welcome to the official Oregon football twitter account #WTD http://t.co/hSWH3CoiKZ—
Oregon Football (@WinTheDay) April 23, 2013
Chip Kelly is gone, but Oregon will still pay for violations committed during his tenure. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
Oregon and the NCAA agree that the school committed “major” violations within its recruiting practices, which have been the subject of an ongoing NCAA investigation. In a draft of the summary disposition report obtained by Portland, Ore., TV station KATU, more details have emerged surrounding the Ducks’ activities and use of Will Lyles, a Texas-based scout whose firm Complete Scouting Services allegedly provided Oregon with an illegal recruiting advantage, among other violations.
Through the summary disposition, Oregon offered to self-impose a two-year probation for the football program and a reduction of one scholarship for each of the next three seasons, according to OregonLive.com. The Ducks will meet with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions later this year to determine the school’s ultimate fate.
The report details Lyles’ impermissible contact with student-athletes, which gave Oregon “a meaningful recruiting advantage” by providing the school with background information on prospective recruits. The document also states that Oregon paid at least $35,000 for a number of improper recruiting services, including $25,000 to Lyles and Complete Scouting Services. Oregon also failed to adequately record recruiting information on a quarterly basis, as mandated by the NCAA. The school and the NCAA disagree on the severity of these charges, however; Oregon considers them to be secondary violations, while the NCAA believes they are major violations.
Here is a stat we would like to see all Nike football programs adopt:
#OnlyInOregonGameNotes http://t.co/lIonRXQUFu—
Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 15, 2013
Why does the Texas Comfy Throw not feature chaps? ARE YOU EVEN TRYING, GROUPON?
We love college football-themed Groupon happenings more than we love most people, but we’re going to need at least nine different Oregon slankets to really round out this collection. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Marcus Mariota may not have a Heisman Trophy just yet, but would you look at those cheekbones?
Mark Helfrich, spittin’ fire in the general direction of College Station:
Johnny Football is spectacular, but know this: Physically, he’s no Mariota.
“We had Johnny and Marcus both committed,” Helfrich says, “and we ended up with the taller, faster, better-looking guy.”
Careful, coach. Don’t want to throw gasoline on the storied Ducks-Aggies rivalry. (Read the rest of Steve Greenberg’s piece for more from Mariota himself.)
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