Former five-star recruit Davonte’ Neal is leaving Notre Dame to play for hometown team Arizona. (Simon Bruty/SI)

By Zac Ellis

Davonte’ Neal, a former five-star wide receiver from Arizona, is transferring from Notre Dame to his home-state Wildcats. Blue and Gold Illustrated is reporting that Neal is leaving the Irish to be closer to his girlfriend and two-month-old daughter in Arizona.

Neal was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and the No. 1 overall athlete in his class before opting to sign with Notre Dame over the likes of Arizona and Arkansas last year. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native recorded 21 punt returns and one catch as a freshman for the Irish in 2012. Neal reportedly will apply for an NCAA hardship waiver so that he can play for Arizona this season.

Neal made headlines in 2012 after he delayed his commitment to Notre Dame until nearly two weeks after National Signing Day. He then didn’t show up for a special commitment press conference at his former elementary school, leaving hundreds of friends, family and teachers waiting. A family emergency delayed his announcement until hours after the originally scheduled ceremony.

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Tracking the zeitgeist of college football’s second weekend through social media:

MAMA! COME ON INSIDE! ONE OF THESE UTAH TEAMS BOUT TO PUNT! CAN’T MISS THAT!

— Jason Kirk (@JasonKirkSBN) September 8, 2012

ACC MISSED THE BOAT ON UTAH.

— THE KEY PLAY (@thekeyplay) September 8, 2012

Special Teams Coach Beehive was a sentimental hire from the start for Utah. Won’t save his job after this game. (Plus: is beehive.)

— edsbs (@edsbs) September 8, 2012

@andy_staples @ben_jones88 We’re still getting our shirts and ties pressed at 9 am.We’re not Juggalos.

— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) September 8, 2012

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Tired of reading exclusively about Missouri, Texas A&M and LSU heading into the weekend? We’ve got you covered. Read about the rest of the action in our Saturday Superlatives, which are kind of like preseason awards for the upcoming weekend of football, and just as binding. For additional preview content heading into Week 2, check out Andy Staples’ Walkthrough.

• Best Worst Anniversary. It’s Auburn-Mississippi State weekend, which means it’s the anniversary of No. 9 Auburn 3, Mississippi State 2. It also means it’s time to drag our favorite decrepit video down out of the bloggy attic.

We had what our parents called a “real job” in 2008, and constructed this 3-2 tribute video the Monday after the game on some ancient version of Quicktime while rendering something we were actually being paid to make in Final Cut. The video is grainy, but think of that aspect as a tribute to the quality of play captured. The end product is raggedy and not aging well, and it might just be the work we are most proud of in our entire lives.

Dan Mullen, discussing Auburn on his radio show tonight: “Hey, I’ll take a 3-2 win.” #2008

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 7, 2012

PLEASE. PLEASE OH PLEASE. PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN, DAN MULLEN POWERS. Week 2 proffers a uniquely terrible slate of games overall, and another 3-2 finish would be its crowning achievement. Auburn is looking to avoid an 0-2 start after an opening-week loss to Clemson, while Mississippi State is coming off a 56-9 win over Jackson State.

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Tracking the zeitgeist through college football’s opening weekend.

I like that when we play overseas, we send Navy. Just in case.

— Brody Logan (@BrodyLogan) September 1, 2012

Mark Richt has lost control of my bougainvilleas.instagr.am/p/PC6_QMrv3n/

— sarah sprague (@sarah_sprague) September 1, 2012

Casual Todd Blackledge is disconcerting, like seeing your teacher at the grocery store

— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) September 1, 2012

Somewhere, I imagine Derek Dooley’s mom visibly seething that her son is on national television with his shirt untucked like a heathen.

— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) September 1, 2012

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In two weeks and four days, we’ll kick off the 2012 college football season. Two days after that, we’ll find out just how much of a favor the previous Arizona coaching staff did Rich Rodriguez by red-shirting Matt Scott.

18 days.

• This is what you’re missing if you’re not following Herb Hand on Twitter. What is it with offensive line coaches associated with Vanderbilt? Hand has yet to mention turkey insemination practices in any of his public appearances, but in popping up on video doing the worm for a meeting room full of hollering student-athletes, he proves himself an able successor to the charms of Robbie Caldwell.

• A felicitous Athletic Director Shufflemas to all. Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips is reportedly retiring, while Arkansas State’s is being “reassigned.”

• We are confident this is the last we will hear of this story. Former Penn State players would like to appeal Penn State’s sanctions, please. NCAA: “The Penn State sanctions are not subject to appeal.” Moving on! Read More…

In the absence of Brad Wing, Robert Griffin III will have to do as Heisman Trophy winner. (Icon SMI)

• And then there were five, and one was III: Robert Griffin III is indeed a Heisman Trophy finalist, alongside Andrew Luck, Montee Ball, Tyrann Mathieu and Trent Richardson. The continued exclusion of Brad Wing from these lists is constantly upsetting. He’s not on our People’s Heisman poll either, but you can vote for some other nice young people.

• Fresh coaches, bought and sold: Add Greg McMackin to our Canned Coaches Cubby. (He wasn’t technically canned, but he’s gone, and I like the Spam connection.)

• In which Chris Petersen cops to the glaring problem with the Coaches’ Poll: “I know how I voted and I know what I’m trying to do, which is make the best case for Boise State to get in there, so I probably shouldn’t be a voter.”

• Penn State things: ABC News is reporting that eight alleged victims will testify against Jerry Sandusky. Meanwhile, does the headline “NCAA considers advisory role on abuse guidelines” make anybody else moderately uncomfortable, for the sole reason that the NCAA doesn’t seem very good at the jobs it actually does have?

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Rich Rodriguez has found new coaching life at Arizona. (Cal Sport Media)

• No vapors in the desert air: RichRod returneth! Arizona AD Greg Byrne further endeared himself to sports nerds by tweeting the announcement himself Monday evening. The school’s full release is available for your perusal here. Stewart Mandel likes the move, thanks to the noted absence of trappings that come with the Wildcats, and I’m inclined to agree. There’s a void beyond the top-tier teams in the Pac-12, and Rodriguez will have his kind of quarterback right away.

• Fresh coaches, bought and sold: Elsewhere in skipper-tracking: UMass fires Kevin Morris before the Minutemen even get to the MAC. There is curiosity about the movements of Skip Holtz. George O’Leary gets that old chestnut, the public vote of confidence. Can’t wait for Urban Meyer‘s next career move to be a critically reviled, ratings-happy television special.

• We remember: Arkansas held a candlelight memorial service for tight end Garrett Uekman, where Bobby Petrino remarked, ”Moments like this make you realize just how insignificant wins and losses can be and how important the people around you are. Garrett was important to all of us.” Our continued best wishes to the Razorbacks football community.

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Running back Donte Harden and Ohio outlasted Blaze Caponegro and Temple 35-31 on Wednesday night. (US PRESSWIRE)

• Ohio 35, Temple 31: In the Wednesday night MAC All-Name battle, Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton defeated Temple defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, and the Bobcats made it three in a row in their highly successful campaign to derail the Owl’s Novembers.  Ohio attained bowl eligibility and the division lead in one fell swoop, and all seemingly because it was lucky enough to have the ball last. Chris Coyer replaced Chester Stewart at quarterback before the first quarter was even over, and went on to throw three touchdown passes and run for 184 yards, but so much for that newly stalwart Owls’ defense: Tettleton alone accounted for 258 yards and three touchdowns, with the Bobcats gaining almost twice as many total yards (521) as Temple had been allowing in an average game. [RECAP | BOX]

• SBC through the breach: The Sun Belt will allow member institutions to handle the increased NCAA scholarship monies and tenures on a by-school basis.

• RichRod has some thoughts: Listen to Rodriguez flat-out cackle as he discusses West Virginia’s Big East exit hurdles.

• Quote of the day: “Trent Richardson just told us that he benches ‘about 475′ and that they won’t let him try to do more.” — Paul Pabst

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