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Definitely getting a customized cover this year
LOCK IT UP - College Football - 2009 Season/2010 Off-Season
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by ThaxbyChamblis,
- Start date
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Shut your nut @%% up.
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I pretty much reacted like the ladies in this video
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Mark Ingram spotted whippin a Brand New Bama red Tahoe sittin on twennayFoez
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FSU Commitment #12
Lonnie Gosha DT, Lake Butler HS (Same school as CJ Spiller)
Lonnie Gosha DT, Lake Butler HS (Same school as CJ Spiller)
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At least we know who didnt buy that for him
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lol
Mario Fannin will get the starting Nod at TB for Auburn... I cant WAIT!
interview with Cris Low is up
Low said "seems like u workin on ur 8th yr of eligibility "
Mario Fannin will get the starting Nod at TB for Auburn... I cant WAIT!
interview with Cris Low is up
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Newbs, Im hearing Michigan is going HAM after Chevelle Buie ... Lil dude got Wheels
If yall get him and are able to get Jeremy on the field as well, wow...
If yall get him and are able to get Jeremy on the field as well, wow...
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'The U' shall rise again
March, 29, 2010
Mar 29
11:11
AM ET
Comment Print Email Share
The vibe around the Miami football program is much different than it was a couple of years ago. The Canes look -- and seem -- like a legit powerhouse program again.
I was out at practice Friday and everywhere you looked they had freakish athletes. At receiver, there is 6-foot-4, 225-pound LaRon Byrd, 6-3, 215-pound Leonard Hankerson and 6-5, 210-pound Tommy Streeter. Each casts an imposing shadow, and all three move like cornerbacks. Travis Benjamin, the fastest of a UM receiving crew that goes seven deep, showed how dynamic he was in UM's spring game, catching six passes for 171 yards, producing one huge play after another.
There is also a deep stable of explosive tailbacks, evoking visions of the Clinton Portis/Willis McGahee days. The D-line, rocked by injury in 2009, is loaded again, led by uber freak Allen Bailey, a chiseled 285-pound defensive end with 4.6 speed. The secondary also can match up athletically with any receiver corps.
Even the area that has been the Canes' Achilles' heel the past few years -- the O-line -- looks good. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jermaine Johnson, a nimble 6-6, 322-pound former prep basketball star, is just one of a batch of lean up-and-comers who had insiders raving.
Mort importantly, this 2010 UM group passed the eyeball test of perhaps its toughest critics, the former Canes players who came out to observe Friday's practice. There were more than 100 old Canes lining the field, ranging from Jimmy Johnson to Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks to Cortez Kennedy. There was also former UM standout Tony Chickillo, who watched with son Anthony, one of the country's top D-line recruits in the Class of 2011.
"This looks like what Miami is supposed to look like," said one UM player from the '90s, pointing at a group of the Canes' towering wideouts. "It hasn't been like this for a while, but we're ready now. Just look at them."
Andreu Swasey, the team's longtime strength coach and the guy who is more qualified to say when a team is ripe than maybe anyone at UM, beamed as he spoke about not only the athleticism, but also the work ethic and maturity of this team.
I'm not ready to anoint Miami as a national title front-runner just yet, although after seeing this team up close, it made me think a little harder about the Canes.
The Canes made big strides last season, but it was still too much of "three steps forward, one step back," punctuated by a dismal bowl performance against Wisconsin. The Canes burst onto the field with two big plays that night -- then acted like the Badgers would be so in awe of the Miami speed, they'd fold. Didn't happen. And that kind of resolve and focus that UM lacked comes back to locker room leadership.
Optimists could shrug it off and say Miami was still young last year. Eh. Regardless, Miami's definitely not young any more. Jacory Harris, the unquestioned leader of this team, sat out this spring after having offseason thumb surgery on his right throwing hand. He was great at times last season, but too often was reckless and made bad decisions. He should be a Heisman contender this fall. The spindly Harris will be much better with a second year in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple's system and the development of that group of receivers. Harris' body also has matured physically. UM was perilously thin behind him last season, but in A.J. Highsmith, walk-on transfer Spencer Whipple (son of Mark) and early enrollee Stephen Morris, the Canes are improved here as well.
Here's a problem: Once again, the season begins with a treacherous first month. After opening with Florida A&M, the Canes visit Ohio State, then visit Pitt and then visit Clemson. Expect to hear some talk about how this start will impact Randy Shannon's future at UM. It shouldn't. The UM brass should address that issue by then. Shannon's contract status has been a hot topic down in South Florida for a while now. (He is in the final year of his contract and is currently the second-lowest paid coach in the ACC.) He has not won as many games as some would've expected, but in fairness, he inherited a tricky situation. He's provided stability and done outstanding work instilling more discipline into the program. Off the field, the results have been outstanding. On the field, critics can knock some decisions, such as hiring Patrick Nix as his offensive coordinator a few years back. Some former UM players had questioned that he held his team with too firm of a hand.
"They just aren't having fun out there," was a common critique from some past players a few years ago.
Shannon, though, has grown into the head-coaching job. The team has more life now, as was evident Friday afternoon. Harris, the boisterous quarterback, has helped provide some juice as well. Bailey, now a senior, says he's seen a change in Shannon, too. "He has lightened up," he said. "He's giving us a little more leeway."
Shannon knows he can have more trust in his players. Now, I think UM needs to show the same trust in its coach and extend his deal.
Around College Football Now
* LSU's running attack looked good in the Tigers' spring game over the weekend. The passing game? Not so much, Glenn Guilbeau reports:
"Yeah, there were some throws that were not ideal," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I'm always concerned. I like our guys to throw perfectly. I don't know that anybody does that, though. I see a lot of quarterbacks that throw a ball a little off left or right, so." Both of his did that on this afternoon. No. 1 quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed just 7 of 20 passes for 84 yards and an interception for the White team. No. 2 quarterback Jarrett Lee was 10 of 20 for 114 yards for both teams, with an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown by safety Craig Loston of the White team. Tailback Michael Ford, a 2009 signee out of Leesville High who was redshirted last season, led all rushers with 139 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards for the Purple team.
"I thought Michael Ford had some nice runs -- the kind of runs where you use your eyes and make cuts and make people miss," Miles said.
* On Saturday, Urban Meyer apologized for his public outburst at Orlando Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler four days earlier:
On Saturday, Meyer and Fowler spoke alone at midfield for about 20 minutes. Fowler, who reports on the Florida Gators, said he and Meyer talked about having a working relationship moving forward. "I won't go into the details of the conversation, but I would say that Urban did apologize," Fowler said. "And I feel like as a work-related conversation it was constructive." Did the meeting help their relationship? "I think so," Fowler said. "It's to be determined. But we'll see. I'm glad he approached me and talked to me about it constructively."
* There is another Weatherford brother coming along, and this one is a quarterback as well, Corey Long writes:
Stephen Weatherford is going into his fourth and final year as the starting quarterback for Land O' Lakes. The youngest of nine siblings, Stephen is the final chapter in a Weatherford legacy in the Gators football program that has watched seven Weatherfords receive football scholarships. The quarterback legacy within the Weatherford family is even more impressive. Stephen's father Bill played quarterback at SMU, as did his grandfather of the same name (the elder Bill Weatherford played in the same backfield with Doak Walker). Older brothers Will (Jacksonville University), Drew (Florida State) and Joe (UCF/West Georgia) also had success playing the position.
"The family has a very competitive nature," said Land O' Lakes head coach Matt Kitchie. "It's friendly, but it's competitive, and rather than live in each other's shadows, they try to leave their own marks."
I've covered two of the older Weatherford brothers. Both were impressive guys. I spoke to Joe a couple of times while working on "Meat Market," and Drew when he was at FSU and we talked about the family's link to William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame.
March, 29, 2010
Mar 29
11:11
AM ET
Comment Print Email Share
The vibe around the Miami football program is much different than it was a couple of years ago. The Canes look -- and seem -- like a legit powerhouse program again.
I was out at practice Friday and everywhere you looked they had freakish athletes. At receiver, there is 6-foot-4, 225-pound LaRon Byrd, 6-3, 215-pound Leonard Hankerson and 6-5, 210-pound Tommy Streeter. Each casts an imposing shadow, and all three move like cornerbacks. Travis Benjamin, the fastest of a UM receiving crew that goes seven deep, showed how dynamic he was in UM's spring game, catching six passes for 171 yards, producing one huge play after another.
There is also a deep stable of explosive tailbacks, evoking visions of the Clinton Portis/Willis McGahee days. The D-line, rocked by injury in 2009, is loaded again, led by uber freak Allen Bailey, a chiseled 285-pound defensive end with 4.6 speed. The secondary also can match up athletically with any receiver corps.
Even the area that has been the Canes' Achilles' heel the past few years -- the O-line -- looks good. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jermaine Johnson, a nimble 6-6, 322-pound former prep basketball star, is just one of a batch of lean up-and-comers who had insiders raving.
Mort importantly, this 2010 UM group passed the eyeball test of perhaps its toughest critics, the former Canes players who came out to observe Friday's practice. There were more than 100 old Canes lining the field, ranging from Jimmy Johnson to Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks to Cortez Kennedy. There was also former UM standout Tony Chickillo, who watched with son Anthony, one of the country's top D-line recruits in the Class of 2011.
"This looks like what Miami is supposed to look like," said one UM player from the '90s, pointing at a group of the Canes' towering wideouts. "It hasn't been like this for a while, but we're ready now. Just look at them."
Andreu Swasey, the team's longtime strength coach and the guy who is more qualified to say when a team is ripe than maybe anyone at UM, beamed as he spoke about not only the athleticism, but also the work ethic and maturity of this team.
I'm not ready to anoint Miami as a national title front-runner just yet, although after seeing this team up close, it made me think a little harder about the Canes.
The Canes made big strides last season, but it was still too much of "three steps forward, one step back," punctuated by a dismal bowl performance against Wisconsin. The Canes burst onto the field with two big plays that night -- then acted like the Badgers would be so in awe of the Miami speed, they'd fold. Didn't happen. And that kind of resolve and focus that UM lacked comes back to locker room leadership.
Optimists could shrug it off and say Miami was still young last year. Eh. Regardless, Miami's definitely not young any more. Jacory Harris, the unquestioned leader of this team, sat out this spring after having offseason thumb surgery on his right throwing hand. He was great at times last season, but too often was reckless and made bad decisions. He should be a Heisman contender this fall. The spindly Harris will be much better with a second year in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple's system and the development of that group of receivers. Harris' body also has matured physically. UM was perilously thin behind him last season, but in A.J. Highsmith, walk-on transfer Spencer Whipple (son of Mark) and early enrollee Stephen Morris, the Canes are improved here as well.
Here's a problem: Once again, the season begins with a treacherous first month. After opening with Florida A&M, the Canes visit Ohio State, then visit Pitt and then visit Clemson. Expect to hear some talk about how this start will impact Randy Shannon's future at UM. It shouldn't. The UM brass should address that issue by then. Shannon's contract status has been a hot topic down in South Florida for a while now. (He is in the final year of his contract and is currently the second-lowest paid coach in the ACC.) He has not won as many games as some would've expected, but in fairness, he inherited a tricky situation. He's provided stability and done outstanding work instilling more discipline into the program. Off the field, the results have been outstanding. On the field, critics can knock some decisions, such as hiring Patrick Nix as his offensive coordinator a few years back. Some former UM players had questioned that he held his team with too firm of a hand.
"They just aren't having fun out there," was a common critique from some past players a few years ago.
Shannon, though, has grown into the head-coaching job. The team has more life now, as was evident Friday afternoon. Harris, the boisterous quarterback, has helped provide some juice as well. Bailey, now a senior, says he's seen a change in Shannon, too. "He has lightened up," he said. "He's giving us a little more leeway."
Shannon knows he can have more trust in his players. Now, I think UM needs to show the same trust in its coach and extend his deal.
Around College Football Now
* LSU's running attack looked good in the Tigers' spring game over the weekend. The passing game? Not so much, Glenn Guilbeau reports:
"Yeah, there were some throws that were not ideal," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I'm always concerned. I like our guys to throw perfectly. I don't know that anybody does that, though. I see a lot of quarterbacks that throw a ball a little off left or right, so." Both of his did that on this afternoon. No. 1 quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed just 7 of 20 passes for 84 yards and an interception for the White team. No. 2 quarterback Jarrett Lee was 10 of 20 for 114 yards for both teams, with an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown by safety Craig Loston of the White team. Tailback Michael Ford, a 2009 signee out of Leesville High who was redshirted last season, led all rushers with 139 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards for the Purple team.
"I thought Michael Ford had some nice runs -- the kind of runs where you use your eyes and make cuts and make people miss," Miles said.
* On Saturday, Urban Meyer apologized for his public outburst at Orlando Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler four days earlier:
On Saturday, Meyer and Fowler spoke alone at midfield for about 20 minutes. Fowler, who reports on the Florida Gators, said he and Meyer talked about having a working relationship moving forward. "I won't go into the details of the conversation, but I would say that Urban did apologize," Fowler said. "And I feel like as a work-related conversation it was constructive." Did the meeting help their relationship? "I think so," Fowler said. "It's to be determined. But we'll see. I'm glad he approached me and talked to me about it constructively."
* There is another Weatherford brother coming along, and this one is a quarterback as well, Corey Long writes:
Stephen Weatherford is going into his fourth and final year as the starting quarterback for Land O' Lakes. The youngest of nine siblings, Stephen is the final chapter in a Weatherford legacy in the Gators football program that has watched seven Weatherfords receive football scholarships. The quarterback legacy within the Weatherford family is even more impressive. Stephen's father Bill played quarterback at SMU, as did his grandfather of the same name (the elder Bill Weatherford played in the same backfield with Doak Walker). Older brothers Will (Jacksonville University), Drew (Florida State) and Joe (UCF/West Georgia) also had success playing the position.
"The family has a very competitive nature," said Land O' Lakes head coach Matt Kitchie. "It's friendly, but it's competitive, and rather than live in each other's shadows, they try to leave their own marks."
I've covered two of the older Weatherford brothers. Both were impressive guys. I spoke to Joe a couple of times while working on "Meat Market," and Drew when he was at FSU and we talked about the family's link to William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame.
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dp
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[h3]'The U' shall rise again
[/h3]
March, 29, 2010
Mar 29
11:11
AM ET
Comment Print http:///sendtofriend.espn.go.com/sendtofriend/SendToFriend?URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=5037468&title=">http://sendtofriend.espn....mp;id=5...le,noscrollbars,width=400,height=500');return false;" target="_blank" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=5037468#">Email Share
The vibe around the Miami football program is much different than it was a couple of years ago. The Canes look -- and seem -- like a legit powerhouse program again.
I was out at practice Friday and everywhere you looked they had freakish athletes. At receiver, there is 6-foot-4, 225-pound LaRon Byrd, 6-3, 215-pound Leonard Hankerson and 6-5, 210-pound Tommy Streeter. Each casts an imposing shadow, and all three move like cornerbacks. Travis Benjamin, the fastest of a UM receiving crew that goes seven deep, showed how dynamic he was in UM's spring game, catching six passes for 171 yards, producing one huge play after another.
There is also a deep stable of explosive tailbacks, evoking visions of the Clinton Portis/Willis McGahee days. The D-line, rocked by injury in 2009, is loaded again, led by uber freak Allen Bailey, a chiseled 285-pound defensive end with 4.6 speed. The secondary also can match up athletically with any receiver corps.
Even the area that has been the Canes' Achilles' heel the past few years -- the O-line -- looks good. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jermaine Johnson, a nimble 6-6, 322-pound former prep basketball star, is just one of a batch of lean up-and-comers who had insiders raving.
Mort importantly, this 2010 UM group passed the eyeball test of perhaps its toughest critics, the former Canes players who came out to observe Friday's practice. There were more than 100 old Canes lining the field, ranging from Jimmy Johnson to Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks to Cortez Kennedy. There was also former UM standout Tony Chickillo, who watched with son Anthony, one of the country's top D-line recruits in the Class of 2011.
"This looks like what Miami is supposed to look like," said one UM player from the '90s, pointing at a group of the Canes' towering wideouts. "It hasn't been like this for a while, but we're ready now. Just look at them."
Andreu Swasey, the team's longtime strength coach and the guy who is more qualified to say when a team is ripe than maybe anyone at UM, beamed as he spoke about not only the athleticism, but also the work ethic and maturity of this team.
I'm not ready to anoint Miami as a national title front-runner just yet, although after seeing this team up close, it made me think a little harder about the Canes.
The Canes made big strides last season, but it was still too much of "three steps forward, one step back," punctuated by a dismal bowl performance against Wisconsin. The Canes burst onto the field with two big plays that night -- then acted like the Badgers would be so in awe of the Miami speed, they'd fold. Didn't happen. And that kind of resolve and focus that UM lacked comes back to locker room leadership.
Optimists could shrug it off and say Miami was still young last year. Eh. Regardless, Miami's definitely not young any more. Jacory Harris, the unquestioned leader of this team, sat out this spring after having offseason thumb surgery on his right throwing hand. He was great at times last season, but too often was reckless and made bad decisions. He should be a Heisman contender this fall. The spindly Harris will be much better with a second year in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple's system and the development of that group of receivers. Harris' body also has matured physically. UM was perilously thin behind him last season, but in A.J. Highsmith, walk-on transfer Spencer Whipple (son of Mark) and early enrollee Stephen Morris, the Canes are improved here as well.
Here's a problem: Once again, the season begins with a treacherous first month. After opening with Florida A&M, the Canes visit Ohio State, then visit Pitt and then visit Clemson. Expect to hear some talk about how this start will impact Randy Shannon's future at UM. It shouldn't. The UM brass should address that issue by then. Shannon's contract status has been a hot topic down in South Florida for a while now. (He is in the final year of his contract and is currently the second-lowest paid coach in the ACC.) He has not won as many games as some would've expected, but in fairness, he inherited a tricky situation. He's provided stability and done outstanding work instilling more discipline into the program. Off the field, the results have been outstanding. On the field, critics can knock some decisions, such as hiring Patrick Nix as his offensive coordinator a few years back. Some former UM players had questioned that he held his team with too firm of a hand.
"They just aren't having fun out there," was a common critique from some past players a few years ago.
Shannon, though, has grown into the head-coaching job. The team has more life now, as was evident Friday afternoon. Harris, the boisterous quarterback, has helped provide some juice as well. Bailey, now a senior, says he's seen a change in Shannon, too. "He has lightened up," he said. "He's giving us a little more leeway."
Shannon knows he can have more trust in his players. Now, I think UM needs to show the same trust in its coach and extend his deal.
[h3]Around College Football Now [/h3]
* LSU's running attack looked good in the Tigers' spring game over the weekend. The passing game? Not so much, Glenn Guilbeau reports:
"Yeah, there were some throws that were not ideal," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I'm always concerned. I like our guys to throw perfectly. I don't know that anybody does that, though. I see a lot of quarterbacks that throw a ball a little off left or right, so." Both of his did that on this afternoon. No. 1 quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed just 7 of 20 passes for 84 yards and an interception for the White team. No. 2 quarterback Jarrett Lee was 10 of 20 for 114 yards for both teams, with an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown by safety Craig Loston of the White team. Tailback Michael Ford, a 2009 signee out of Leesville High who was redshirted last season, led all rushers with 139 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards for the Purple team.
"I thought Michael Ford had some nice runs -- the kind of runs where you use your eyes and make cuts and make people miss," Miles said.
* On Saturday, Urban Meyer apologized for his public outburst at Orlando Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler four days earlier:
On Saturday, Meyer and Fowler spoke alone at midfield for about 20 minutes. Fowler, who reports on the Florida Gators, said he and Meyer talked about having a working relationship moving forward. "I won't go into the details of the conversation, but I would say that Urban did apologize," Fowler said. "And I feel like as a work-related conversation it was constructive." Did the meeting help their relationship? "I think so," Fowler said. "It's to be determined. But we'll see. I'm glad he approached me and talked to me about it constructively."
* There is another Weatherford brother coming along, and this one is a quarterback as well, Corey Long writes:
Stephen Weatherford is going into his fourth and final year as the starting quarterback for Land O' Lakes. The youngest of nine siblings, Stephen is the final chapter in a Weatherford legacy in the Gators football program that has watched seven Weatherfords receive football scholarships. The quarterback legacy within the Weatherford family is even more impressive. Stephen's father Bill played quarterback at SMU, as did his grandfather of the same name (the elder Bill Weatherford played in the same backfield with Doak Walker). Older brothers Will (Jacksonville University), Drew (Florida State) and Joe (UCF/West Georgia) also had success playing the position.
"The family has a very competitive nature," said Land O' Lakes head coach Matt Kitchie. "It's friendly, but it's competitive, and rather than live in each other's shadows, they try to leave their own marks."
I've covered two of the older Weatherford brothers. Both were impressive guys. I spoke to Joe a couple of times while working on "Meat Market," and Drew when he was at FSU and we talked about the family's link to William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame.
* Tweet of the Day: From New Mexico coach Mike Locksley:
@Coachlocks: there's nothing like an Albquerque sunset. Practice No. 4 tommorow.
[/h3]March, 29, 2010
Mar 29
11:11
AM ET
Comment Print http:///sendtofriend.espn.go.com/sendtofriend/SendToFriend?URL=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=5037468&title=">http://sendtofriend.espn....mp;id=5...le,noscrollbars,width=400,height=500');return false;" target="_blank" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=5037468#">Email Share
The vibe around the Miami football program is much different than it was a couple of years ago. The Canes look -- and seem -- like a legit powerhouse program again.
I was out at practice Friday and everywhere you looked they had freakish athletes. At receiver, there is 6-foot-4, 225-pound LaRon Byrd, 6-3, 215-pound Leonard Hankerson and 6-5, 210-pound Tommy Streeter. Each casts an imposing shadow, and all three move like cornerbacks. Travis Benjamin, the fastest of a UM receiving crew that goes seven deep, showed how dynamic he was in UM's spring game, catching six passes for 171 yards, producing one huge play after another.
There is also a deep stable of explosive tailbacks, evoking visions of the Clinton Portis/Willis McGahee days. The D-line, rocked by injury in 2009, is loaded again, led by uber freak Allen Bailey, a chiseled 285-pound defensive end with 4.6 speed. The secondary also can match up athletically with any receiver corps.
Even the area that has been the Canes' Achilles' heel the past few years -- the O-line -- looks good. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jermaine Johnson, a nimble 6-6, 322-pound former prep basketball star, is just one of a batch of lean up-and-comers who had insiders raving.
Mort importantly, this 2010 UM group passed the eyeball test of perhaps its toughest critics, the former Canes players who came out to observe Friday's practice. There were more than 100 old Canes lining the field, ranging from Jimmy Johnson to Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks to Cortez Kennedy. There was also former UM standout Tony Chickillo, who watched with son Anthony, one of the country's top D-line recruits in the Class of 2011.
"This looks like what Miami is supposed to look like," said one UM player from the '90s, pointing at a group of the Canes' towering wideouts. "It hasn't been like this for a while, but we're ready now. Just look at them."
Andreu Swasey, the team's longtime strength coach and the guy who is more qualified to say when a team is ripe than maybe anyone at UM, beamed as he spoke about not only the athleticism, but also the work ethic and maturity of this team.
I'm not ready to anoint Miami as a national title front-runner just yet, although after seeing this team up close, it made me think a little harder about the Canes.
The Canes made big strides last season, but it was still too much of "three steps forward, one step back," punctuated by a dismal bowl performance against Wisconsin. The Canes burst onto the field with two big plays that night -- then acted like the Badgers would be so in awe of the Miami speed, they'd fold. Didn't happen. And that kind of resolve and focus that UM lacked comes back to locker room leadership.
Optimists could shrug it off and say Miami was still young last year. Eh. Regardless, Miami's definitely not young any more. Jacory Harris, the unquestioned leader of this team, sat out this spring after having offseason thumb surgery on his right throwing hand. He was great at times last season, but too often was reckless and made bad decisions. He should be a Heisman contender this fall. The spindly Harris will be much better with a second year in offensive coordinator Mark Whipple's system and the development of that group of receivers. Harris' body also has matured physically. UM was perilously thin behind him last season, but in A.J. Highsmith, walk-on transfer Spencer Whipple (son of Mark) and early enrollee Stephen Morris, the Canes are improved here as well.
Here's a problem: Once again, the season begins with a treacherous first month. After opening with Florida A&M, the Canes visit Ohio State, then visit Pitt and then visit Clemson. Expect to hear some talk about how this start will impact Randy Shannon's future at UM. It shouldn't. The UM brass should address that issue by then. Shannon's contract status has been a hot topic down in South Florida for a while now. (He is in the final year of his contract and is currently the second-lowest paid coach in the ACC.) He has not won as many games as some would've expected, but in fairness, he inherited a tricky situation. He's provided stability and done outstanding work instilling more discipline into the program. Off the field, the results have been outstanding. On the field, critics can knock some decisions, such as hiring Patrick Nix as his offensive coordinator a few years back. Some former UM players had questioned that he held his team with too firm of a hand.
"They just aren't having fun out there," was a common critique from some past players a few years ago.
Shannon, though, has grown into the head-coaching job. The team has more life now, as was evident Friday afternoon. Harris, the boisterous quarterback, has helped provide some juice as well. Bailey, now a senior, says he's seen a change in Shannon, too. "He has lightened up," he said. "He's giving us a little more leeway."
Shannon knows he can have more trust in his players. Now, I think UM needs to show the same trust in its coach and extend his deal.
[h3]Around College Football Now [/h3]
* LSU's running attack looked good in the Tigers' spring game over the weekend. The passing game? Not so much, Glenn Guilbeau reports:
"Yeah, there were some throws that were not ideal," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I'm always concerned. I like our guys to throw perfectly. I don't know that anybody does that, though. I see a lot of quarterbacks that throw a ball a little off left or right, so." Both of his did that on this afternoon. No. 1 quarterback Jordan Jefferson completed just 7 of 20 passes for 84 yards and an interception for the White team. No. 2 quarterback Jarrett Lee was 10 of 20 for 114 yards for both teams, with an interception that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown by safety Craig Loston of the White team. Tailback Michael Ford, a 2009 signee out of Leesville High who was redshirted last season, led all rushers with 139 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 35 yards for the Purple team.
"I thought Michael Ford had some nice runs -- the kind of runs where you use your eyes and make cuts and make people miss," Miles said.
* On Saturday, Urban Meyer apologized for his public outburst at Orlando Sentinel reporter Jeremy Fowler four days earlier:
On Saturday, Meyer and Fowler spoke alone at midfield for about 20 minutes. Fowler, who reports on the Florida Gators, said he and Meyer talked about having a working relationship moving forward. "I won't go into the details of the conversation, but I would say that Urban did apologize," Fowler said. "And I feel like as a work-related conversation it was constructive." Did the meeting help their relationship? "I think so," Fowler said. "It's to be determined. But we'll see. I'm glad he approached me and talked to me about it constructively."
* There is another Weatherford brother coming along, and this one is a quarterback as well, Corey Long writes:
Stephen Weatherford is going into his fourth and final year as the starting quarterback for Land O' Lakes. The youngest of nine siblings, Stephen is the final chapter in a Weatherford legacy in the Gators football program that has watched seven Weatherfords receive football scholarships. The quarterback legacy within the Weatherford family is even more impressive. Stephen's father Bill played quarterback at SMU, as did his grandfather of the same name (the elder Bill Weatherford played in the same backfield with Doak Walker). Older brothers Will (Jacksonville University), Drew (Florida State) and Joe (UCF/West Georgia) also had success playing the position.
"The family has a very competitive nature," said Land O' Lakes head coach Matt Kitchie. "It's friendly, but it's competitive, and rather than live in each other's shadows, they try to leave their own marks."
I've covered two of the older Weatherford brothers. Both were impressive guys. I spoke to Joe a couple of times while working on "Meat Market," and Drew when he was at FSU and we talked about the family's link to William Wallace of "Braveheart" fame.
* Tweet of the Day: From New Mexico coach Mike Locksley:
@Coachlocks: there's nothing like an Albquerque sunset. Practice No. 4 tommorow.
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Georgia Tech:
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Good thing Nesbitt wasn't there. That woulda been ugly...
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Hahhahha so true
Good to see Johnson adding more to the offense
Good to see Johnson adding more to the offense
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He got offered Spiller's old house on Lake Hartwell.
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NOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee has written some hefty protection forthe program and the coach into its deal with new coach Derek Dooley.
Dooleywould have to pay $4 million if he resigns before Feb. 15, 2012, anumber that drops to $3 million through the next year and down to $1million in February 2014. The buyout then drops by $250,000 each of thefollowing two years, according to a memorandum of understanding signedby Dooley on March 3 and released Wednesday by the school.
Tennessee'sbuyout to get rid of Dooley is even steeper. He would be owed $5million through Feb. 15, 2013, a number that drops to $4 million into2014 and 2015. The buyout falls to $2.5 million after Feb. 15, 2015.
Dooley'scontract information was announced in February. His six-year deal payshim $1.8 million this year and increases yearly by $100,000 with hisbase salary reaching $2.3 million in 2015.
But the high numbershelp protect the university if Dooley decides to bolt as Lane Kiffindid for Southern California in January. Dooley also gets someprotection in case he struggles with Tennessee as expected. The Volswent 7-6 last season, and the program returns only four starters onoffense and no starting linemen or quarterback.
It isn't much better on defense, where only six starters are back.
Hisbonuses include $40,000 for a non-Bowl Championship Series bowl game,$150,000 for a BCS game, $80,000 for reaching the SoutheasternConference championship game and $150,000 for winning. His dealincludes $150,000 for playing in the BCS title game and $200,000 if hewins
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Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
Newbs, Im hearing Michigan is going HAM after Chevelle Buie ... Lil dude got Wheels
If yall get him and are able to get Jeremy on the field as well, wow...
He has been a guy FL heads have said they really like and his name just popped up this week as a cat Michigan was going after hard. We'll see. Corvin Lamb was looking hards early and then wasn't even on our radar late. I still feel that Demetrius Hart from Dr Phillips is #1 for the coaches but Buie sounds fine to me.
Loving what I hear about JG. Can't wait to see what he does in the spring game.
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Originally Posted by Newbs24
Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT
Newbs, Im hearing Michigan is going HAM after Chevelle Buie ... Lil dude got Wheels
If yall get him and are able to get Jeremy on the field as well, wow...
He has been a guy FL heads have said they really like and his name just popped up this week as a cat Michigan was going after hard. We'll see. Corvin Lamb was looking hards early and then wasn't even on our radar late. I still feel that Demetrius Hart from Dr Phillips is #1 for the coaches but Buie sounds fine to me.
Loving what I hear about JG. Can't wait to see what he does in the spring game.
if u get your hands on footage or any links, send em my way ok
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Don't get your hopes up about Dee Hart.
Him and Clinton-Dix will probably be singing "Roll Tide" here in the near future....
Him and Clinton-Dix will probably be singing "Roll Tide" here in the near future....
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yes there is no doubt they are going to Alabama
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Buie is an animal though. FSU coaches don't seem to be pushing for him as hard as I thought they would be. I honestly think we coulda locked him up early. I think, regardless of scholarship #'s, we need to add a player like that every year. A player that can instantaneously flip the field. Idk who we're on, that we're actively pursuing that can do that. I mean we're after Crowell and Lane, but I doubt they come. 2 years ago we added Chris Thompson and Greg Reid. Last year Lamarcus Joyner and DJ Johnson. This year? Idk. I know we're supposed to have a smaller class but still. It's still early though.
Clinton-Dix is going to be a NICE replacement for missing out on Keenan Allen. Kid is the goods. And has the ability to play corner if needed. Him, Millner and Kirkpatrick (as a Jr.) in the secondary
Clinton-Dix is going to be a NICE replacement for missing out on Keenan Allen. Kid is the goods. And has the ability to play corner if needed. Him, Millner and Kirkpatrick (as a Jr.) in the secondary
