The new SEC Network announcement has been rescheduled for this Thursday, and as previously mentioned, there’s only one way it ends satisfactorily:
If it's 12:21 pm ET on a fall Saturday, you know what I'm watching, Nielsen. http://t.co/UxLyXkipkI—
Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) April 30, 2013
This post sponsored by the imaginary yet influential Jefferson Pilot Preservation Society.
Gus Malzahn’s up-tempo bingo-calling impressed recruits at Azalea Place Assisted Living. (Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
More than 100 Auburn athletic department employees took part in the school’s annual Tigers Give Back Community Service Day on Friday, and new football coach Gus Malzahn put his own spin on a classic game: bingo.
Malzahn ran through numbers quickly as the newest bingo-caller at Azalea Place Assisted Living Facility, one of the 13 sites participating in the Tigers Give Back program. Much like Malzahn’s approach to offense, the coach preferred an up-tempo style of play.
“I tested them a little bit,” Malzahn joked. “We ran the hurry-up, no-huddle bingo today, and they did a good job keeping up with it.”
D.J. Fluker, before becoming ‘Bama’s 14th first-round NFL draft pick in Nick Saban’s tenure. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
The SEC hogged the spotlight once again in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Twelve SEC players were selected on the draft’s opening night, a total that tied the 2007 ACC for the most ever from one conference in the first round. And while the SEC was setting new heights for the league, Nick Saban was doing the same for his tenure at Alabama.
Three Crimson Tide players — cornerback Dee Milliner, offensive guard Chance Warmack and offensive tackle D.J. Fluker — were picked consecutively in the first round, with selections No. 9, No. 10 and No. 11. The picks upped Saban’s total of first-round draft picks to 14 during his six seasons at Alabama.
That mark is significant: Saban’s 14 first-rounders pushes the coach past legendary Crimson Tide coach Bear Bryant in that regard, as Bryant produced 13 first-round picks with Alabama. The difference? It took Bryant 25 seasons to get to that number in Tuscaloosa, according to AL.com’s Jon Solomon.
Saban and Alabama have recently dominated the rest of the SEC in first-round picks as well. Since 2009, Florida’s seven first-round selections are the league’s second-highest total behind Alabama’s 14.
AD Jay Jacobs (center) said that Auburn’s internal review found no evidence of academic fraud. (Todd J. Van Emst/AP)
By Zac Ellis
Auburn has found no evidence of the academic fraud outlined in a story posted on Roopstigo.com earlier this month, the university announced Monday.
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs presented a point-by-point rebuttal to the Roopstigo report on the school’s website. Jacobs said an internal review debunked the majority of the claims in author Selena Roberts’ story. Jacobs emphasized that the review by Auburn Athletics and Auburn University Internal Auditing found no evidence to support the most serious claim, which stated that academic fraud occurred prior to the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
Auburn concluded the release with the hashtag #GetTheFacts.
Jacobs called Roberts’ story an “attack” and vowed to continue to protect Auburn.
Notre Dame defender Louis Nix stole the spotlight Saturday with this rumbling two-point conversion play. (USA Today)
By Zac Ellis
After yet another weekend full of spring football games, here’s a rundown of the latest news and notes from across the nation:
• Notre Dame: The Irish defense came to play in the annual Blue-Gold game on Saturday, accounting for 10 sacks, two interceptions and a safety in the scrimmage. The offense, however, failed to find its groove, with second-year quarterback Everett Golson finishing 6-of-13 passing for 98 yards with one interception. He was also sacked three times. Coach Brian Kelly said he wasn’t concerned with the offense’s struggles, admitting he’d seen improvement on that side of the ball throughout spring. But the offense did find a spark late in the game when nose guard Louis Nix III took a goal-line snap and rumbled in for a two-point conversion. Perhaps Kelly should consider that package for the fall.
• Alabama: The Crimson Tide were anything but streamlined in Saturday’s A-Day game. The Crimson and White teams combined for nine turnovers — six interceptions and three fumbles — in the contest, leaving coach Nick Saban understandably upset. “The biggest thing I was concerned about was how the team would go out there and what would be their energy, their enthusiasm, and their attention to detail,” Saban said. “I don’t think that there were enough guys that answered that question in a positive way to my liking. But I’m never satisfied.” SI.com’s Lars Anderson reported on the game from Tuscaloosa. Oh, and AJ McCarron’s famous female companion Katherine Webb also made an appearance.
• Penn State: Around 28,000 fans ventured to Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions’ spring game this weekend, braving the icy elements in State College. But there wasn’t much closure for fans hoping to get a feel for Penn State’s quarterback situation, in which Steven Bench and Tyler Ferguson are battling for the starting job. Coach Bill O’Brien was non-committal when discussing both passers after the game, but the competition may become more heated when five-star recruit Christian Hackenberg arrives on campus this summer.
Michigan led the nation last season by averaging 112,252 fans per home game. (Scott W. Grau/Icon SMI)
By Zac Ellis
Michigan’s home-field advantage was the best in college football in 2012, according to at least one list of rankings. Michigan Stadium, also known as “The Big House,” topped StadiumJourney.com’s rundown of the best college stadiums from last season. The Wolverines led the nation in average attendance with an astounding 112,252 fans per game while finishing 6-0 and outscoring visiting opponents 231-96 at home.
The outlet determined its rankings based on several factors, including a team’s win/loss record, average attendance, attendance as a percentage of capacity and points scored/allowed at home. Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium finished second, while Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium, Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium and South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium rounded out the top five.
You can find the complete rankings here, but here is the rest of the top 10:
By Zac Ellis
The rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina has bumped up a few notches over the last few seasons. The competitiveness is back, with the Gamecocks claiming the last four victories in a series historically dominated by the Tigers, and the war of words between Dabo Swinney and Steve Spurrier serving as a recipe for great pregame sparring.
Even though the two schools won’t match up until November, the next chapter of the in-state saga appears to have been written overnight. South Carolina staffers came to work Wednesday morning and found an orange tiger paw painted on one of the Gamecocks’ train cars. The vehicle, known as the Cockabooses, was parked next to the stadium.
Enough is Enough! @clem_sux #CockabooseVandalism twitter.com/cookescott/sta…
— Scott Cooke (@cookescott) April 16, 2013
By Zac Ellis
Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart’s name has surfaced in connection with many head-coaching openings thanks to his success with the Crimson Tide. But ‘Bama is making a big push to keep $mart (that’s how we’re spelling his name now, right?) in Tuscaloosa for the long haul.
Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com is reporting that Alabama is preparing to boost Smart’s salary to at least the $1 million mark.
Alabama committee expected to approve raise for Kirby Smart, likely making him a $1 M man.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerCBS) April 16, 2013
Meanwhile, Alabama is also restructuring Nick Saban’s contract to feature language that reflects the upcoming college football playoff in 2014.
Saban’s old bonus structure includes BCS language, so Alabama changing to accommodate new college football playoff in 2014-15
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerCBS) April 16, 2013
This post is sponsored by the imaginary but influential Jefferson Pilot Preservation Society.
We will be in attendance Tuesday at the unveiling of the SEC Network. If anyone needs us, we will be the ones asking coaches to take inspiration from their Atlanta surroundings and explain which Designing Woman has most inspired them to live like a champion. And if this new undertaking does not contain at least three Daves of ESPN’s choosing, we will storm out in a mighty snit.
Responsible party for this video: Patrick Claybon, whom you should be following despite the fact that he is not named Dave.
NCAA enforcement official Dave Didion has accepted a compliance position at Auburn. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
By Zac Ellis
The NCAA’s enforcement staff took another hit over the weekend when veteran enforcement official Dave Didion opted to leave his post with the organization. He’ll assume the role of associate athletics director for compliance at Auburn, the same school he left 14 years ago to join the NCAA. USA Today reported the move on Friday.
Didion is the latest in a line of casualties in the NCAA’s enforcement department. Investigator Ameen Najjar was fired in 2012 after it was discovered he signed off on payments to Miami booster Nevin Shaprio’s attorney during the NCAA’s probe into the Hurricanes. Vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach was later fired as a result of the investigation. Two other enforcement staffers, investigators Rich Johanningmeier and Abigail Grantstein, have also left the NCAA within the last year.
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