Arizona State’s Andres Garcia has been dismissed from the team following his arrest. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

An Arizona State football player has been kicked off the team following his arrest. The Tempe police department arrested walk-on defensive back Andres Garcia late Sunday night on two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault/domestic violence, according to Phoenix’s KPHO.

Reports state that Garcia was involved in an argument with a female late Friday night when he shoved her into a wall, knocking her unconscious. She soon regained consciousness and friends opted against taking her to the hospital, instead taking her back to her room to rest.

That’s where Garcia allegedly raped the victim, according to the report:

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Five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas has been at the center of a recruiting saga. (Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

By Zac Ellis

Only a couple of weeks after waffling on his commitment to Florida State, five-star linebacker recruit Matthew Thomas appears set to honor his word to the Seminoles. In a statement released to WarChant.com, Thomas confirmed that he will report to Tallahassee on Saturday with the rest of FSU’s freshman class.

“After meeting with coach Fisher and his staff and gathering all the information I have decided to honor my commitment to Florida State,” Thomas said. “I also want to be close to my family and I want be part of what they are building at Florida State. I’m looking forward to winning games at Florida State and building towards my future.”

The Miami native inked a National Letter of Intent with Florida State in February, but his saga began in May when reports surfaced stating that Thomas had changed his mind and had reportedly asked the Seminoles to release him from his NLI. Thomas told the Miami Herald he was pressured by his family to attend Florida State.

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Linebacker Marquis Flowers (2) was one of the few bright spots on Arizona’s defense in 2012. (Chris Coduto/Icon SMI)

By Zac Ellis

Throughout the offseason, SI.com will spotlight several teams, players and coaches with something to prove heading into the 2013 season. To check out every edition of this series, click here.

Arizona fans got exactly what they had hoped for out of the Wildcats’ offense in coach Rich Rodriguez’s debut season. RichRod’s up-tempo attack averaged a school-record 526.2 yards and 38.2 points per game in 2012, seventh and 15th in the FBS, respectively. Arizona finished in the top three in the Pac-12 in nearly every significant offensive statistical category, and All-America running back Ka’Deem Carey paced the nation with 1,929 rushing yards.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats’ offense wasn’t the only record-setting unit in town. The Arizona defense — led by former West Virginia coordinator Jeff Casteel — surrendered the most total yards in the country en route to finishing as the most porous group in program history. The ‘Cats allowed 499 yards and 38.2 points per game, and a few of their efforts were nothing short of disastrous: a 66-10 loss at UCLA, a 54-48 overtime loss at Stanford and a 49-0 loss at Oregon. In all, six different opponents put up more than 600 yards of offense against Arizona, yet Rodriguez somehow managed to guide his Wildcats to an 8-4 record in spite of his defense.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Arizona failed to land a player on the All-Pac-12 first- or second-team defensive squads. This fall, it’s clear there’s nowhere to go for Arizona’s D but up.

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Nick Saban, counting how many recruits he’ll land out of Tennessee during his speech. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

By Zac Ellis

A speaking engagement by an out-of-state football coach is causing quite a commotion in Tennessee. The seventh annual Athens Area Chamber of Commerce benefit dinner in Athens, Tenn., is expecting a near-sellout crowd for its event on Tuesday night.

The keynote speaker? Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

Saban’s scheduled appearance isn’t going over well with a number of residents in east Tennessee, as Athens sits just 60 miles south of Knoxville. Rob Preston, the Chamber of Commerce president, told the AP’s Steve Megargee that the group has received more than 100 complaints from Tennessee fans about Saban’s visit. The event’s security has been beefed up as a precaution.

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After originally leaving Maryland for Wisconsin, Danny O’Brien is set to leave the Badgers. (Patrick S Blood/Icon SMI)

By Zac Ellis

One season after leaving Maryland for Wisconsin, quarterback Danny O’Brien is also leaving the Badgers, reports FoxSportsWisconsin.com.

Todd Willert, O’Brien’s high school coach at East Forsyth High in North Carolina, said that O’Brien informed him of his decision.

“I just texted him,” Willert said by phone Monday morning. “He texted back. He said he wouldn’t be at Wisconsin this year.”

O’Brien had hoped to lead Wisconsin into the post-Russell Wilson era, but he never carved out a niche as the team’s offensive leader. Like Wilson, O’Brien transferred to Madison from an ACC school using the graduate transfer exception. But after a strong showing as the starter in the 2012 season opener against Northern Iowa, O’Brien faded quickly, and he was regulated to backup duty by the third game of the year.

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Could face mask redesigns become a college football uniform trend of the future? (Via BadAss Masks)

By Zac Ellis

Plenty of college football teams have unveiled new-look helmets and jerseys this offseason, but very few programs have tried to revamp their face masks. Perhaps that’s about to change: A company called Bad-Ass Masks has a few ideas for teams looking to take the plunge.

On Sunday, the company tweeted a picture of an Arizona Wildcats’ helmet prototype with the school’s logo molded into the face mask. While this is not an official design from the university, it’s noteworthy nonetheless. Face mask redesigns are a trend that could catch on — especially given the effect jersey designs can have on recruiting.

HAD to make Game 2 in South Beach #WeInHere #BackToWorkTomorrow http://t.co/IdJ04pGP2a—
Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) June 10, 2013

By Zac Ellis

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel continued his post-Heisman dream ride this weekend, tweeting a photo from his seats at Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Spurs in Miami on Sunday night.

As might be expected, plenty of Manziel’s followers questioned his attendance. But Johnny Football quickly explained that his family helped him land the tickets:

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Harvey Updyke's new look http://t.co/zt07Ok11VH—
John Zenor (@jzenor) June 10, 2013

By Zac Ellis

Harvey Updyke, the Alabama resident who poisoned the iconic trees at Toomer’s Corner, is heading home. Updyke was released from Lee County jail in Auburn on Monday morning, according to Associated Press writer John Zenor.

Updyke, 64, served six months in jail as part of a sentence for poisoning the oak trees at Toomer’s Corner sometime after the 2010 Iron Bowl. The rest of Updyke’s sentence — for one count of unlawful damage to an animal or crop facility — is five years supervised probation. That includes a 7 p.m. curfew, a ban from talking to media and a ban from attending any collegiate sporting event.

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Florida State wide receiver Greg Dent (15) was arrested on a sexual assault charge on Sunday night. (Bill Frakes/SI)

By Zac Ellis

Florida State wide receiver Greg Dent was arrested Sunday night on a sexual assault charge, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office online booking detail indicated Dent was arrested by Tallahassee police and was being held in Leon County jail late Sunday night. The Sentinel also reported that Dent’s first court appearance was set for Monday morning.

According to county records, Dent used no physical force or violence to cause injury to the victim. Per Florida statute, his charge is considered a second-degree felony.

His police report can be seen here, via Warchant.com.

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After winning a historic Heisman last season, what does A&M’s Johnny Manziel have in store for 2013? (Greg Nelson/SI)

By Zac Ellis

Throughout the offseason, SI.com will spotlight several teams, players and coaches with something to prove heading into the 2013 season. To check out every edition of this series, click here.

No player in college football enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom quite like Johnny Manziel in 2012. The Texas A&M quarterback dazzled fans with a dangerous dual-threat game that led his Aggies to the upset of the season at Alabama, a 29-24 victory that launched him into the Heisman conversation and ultimately helped him become the first freshman ever to take home the historic trophy.

Since then, Manziel has ascended to celebrity status, throwing out first pitches, headlining talk shows and sitting courtside at NBA games. His A&M team should begin the season in the top five of most preseason polls, and its 2014 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 2 in the country according to Rivals.com — two developments largely indebted to Manziel’s explosive freshman efforts.

It begs the question: What else does Johnny Football really have to prove?

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