SEC Coaches`
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My take on the Tennessee SportsNation results
June 5, 2009 2:00 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Here's a look at the SportsNation results from the Tennessee stop in College Football Live's "50 States Tour" and whether or not I agree:
1. Which team is the best in state history?
SportsNation results (11,353 votes)
- 1998 Tennessee, 13-0, national champions: 83 percent
- 1938 Tennessee, 11-0, national champions: 9 percent
- 1951 Tennessee, 10-1, national champions: 4 percent
- 1982 Tennessee State, 10-1-1: 3 percent
- 1939 Tennessee, 10-1, SEC champions: 1 percent
My take: Disagree
It's impossible to compare eras, but Gen. Robert Neyland's teams in 1938 and 1939 were beyond dominant. The 1938 Vols shut out eight of their 11 opponents and only gave up 16 points all year, ending the season with a 17-0 victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The 1939 Vols remain the last team in NCAA history to go unscored upon in regular-season play. They were beaten by Southern California 14-0 in the Rose Bowl. The 1998 season was a magical ride for the Vols, and that team was filled with great players. But what Tennessee did in 1938 and 1939 is hard to trump.
2. Which player is the best in state history?
SportsNation results (11,694 votes)
- Peyton Manning: 71 percent
- Ed "Too Tall" Jones: 3 percent
My take: Agree
Manning will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, and he remains an icon in Tennessee. His coming to Tennessee in 1994 paved the way to the Vols' incredible run in the 1990s. The late Reggie White is one of the most dominant defensive linemen to ever play the game and is right there on Manning's coattails. He was utterly unblockable during his senior season at Tennessee in 1983. Ed "Too Tall" Jones also deserves some more love.
3. Which coach is the best in state history?
SportsNation results (11,230 votes)
- Gen. Robert Neyland, Tennessee: 52 percent
- Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee: 26 percent
- John Merritt, Tennessee State: 14 percent
- Dan McGugin, Vanderbilt: 6 percent
- Billy Murphy, Memphis: 3 percent
My take: Agree
No contest here. Neyland served three different stints at Tennessee while also serving his country during war time. He's the father of Tennessee football, a College Hall of Fame member and the winningest coach in school history. Fulmer delivered the Vols their first national title in 47 years and is a lock to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and doesn't John Majors have to be on this list somewhere? Also, go back and look at how badly McGugin was beating teams in the early 1900's. He coached the Commodores for three decades and was inducted into the Hall of Fame after compiling a 197-55-19 record.
4. Which was the best game in state history?
SportsNation results (10,464)
- 2001 Tennessee over Florida (34-32): 33 percent
- 1998 Tennessee over Florida (20-17): 28 percent
- 1991 Tennessee over Notre Dame (35-34): 20 percent
- 1999 Tennessee over Florida State (23-16): 12 percent
- 1982 Tennessee over Alabama (35-28): 7 percent
My take: Disagree
That 2001 win over the Gators in the Swamp was no doubt a classic, but the 20-17 overtime win over Florida in 1998, paving the way for the Vols to win the national title, would be my No. 1 choice. And where's the 16-14 win over Alabama in 1985? I can still see Dale Jones deflecting Mike Shula's pass near the line of scrimmage and cradling it for an interception just before it hit the ground.
5. Which game had the most memorable finish?
SportsNation results (10,386 votes)
- 1998 Tennessee over Florida (20-17): 43 percent
- 1998 Tennessee over Arkansas (28-24): 23 percent
- 2008 Middle Tennessee over FAU (14-13): 14 percent
- 1999 Vanderbilt over Ole Miss (37-34): 11 percent
- 1996 Memphis over Tennessee (21-17): 9 percent
My take: Disagree
Neyland Stadium has never rocked the way it did that night when Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner fumbled in the final two minutes and Billy Ratliff recovered for the Vols. Left for dead, Tennessee miraculously escaped to keep its national championship dreams alive. The folks in Memphis would probably argue that the 1996 game at the Liberty Bowl featured a pretty memorable finish. It's certainly one of the biggest football upsets involving two teams from the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee Vols,
Peyton Manning,
Robert Neyland,
Phillip Fulmer,
Reggie White,
John Majors,
Vanderbilt Commodores,
Dan McGugin
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Lunchtime links: Saban gets an apology
June 5, 2009 12:05 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Some SEC linkage to munch on:
- Heralded running back prospect Lache Seastrunk, one of Auburn's top targets, calls Alabama coach Nick Saban to apologize for some of the comments Seastrunk made at the Tigers' Big Cat recruiting weekend.
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Nick Saban,
Auburn Tigers,
Mississippi State Bulldogs,
Brandon McRae,
Arkansas Razorbacks
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It's Alabama's turn in '50 States Tour'
June 5, 2009 8:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Alabama will be the featured state next Monday and Tuesday on the "50 States Tour" from "College Football Live."
Fans can vote in the
best of Alabama poll, and the results will be used in the show. Good luck in picking the best team from that state. The same goes for picking the best player.
The tour began on June 1 and will run through Aug. 7, showcasing the best and greatest from high school and college football in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia.
In other words, there might be a few Bear Bryant and Bo Jackson references next Monday and Tuesday on the show.
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Auburn Tigers
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Alabama lands top cornerback prospect
June 4, 2009 5:30 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
The beat goes on for Nick Saban and his Alabama recruiting machine.
The Crimson Tide landed a commitment from
cornerback Demarcus Milliner on Thursday, continuing what's been a torrid run on the recruiting trail for Saban and his staff.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Milliner is considered by many to be one of the top cornerback prospects in the country. He's the sixth member of the ESPNU 150 Watch List to commit to Alabama, which is now up to 13 commitments for the 2010 class.
Milliner's pledge is significant on a couple of different fronts. He's from Millbrook, Ala., and will probably wind up being the state of Alabama's top prospect. It's another indication that Saban has truly locked down that state.
Also, the recruiting momentum the Crimson Tide have with more than seven months remaining until signing day is amazing. They're stockpiling talent at a dizzying rate (and have been for the last couple of years) and are the team you point to in the SEC right now that has the most realistic chance of catching Florida.
Of course, the Gators aren't exactly swinging and missing on the recruiting trail. Urban Meyer and his staff have gotten to the point where they're essentially picking who they want in the state of Florida.
That's akin to picking what resort you're going to stay at in the Caribbean. There's a lot from which to choose.
It should be fun watching these two heavyweights slug it out over the next few years.
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Nick Saban,
Florida Gators,
Urban Meyer
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Mullen looking for 'champions'
June 4, 2009 3:44 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Taking a page out of Urban Meyer's book at Florida, first-year Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has established his own "Champions Club" in Starkville.
He likes what he sees heading into the summer months.
"I love the attitude of our team right now," Mullen said. "They look like they're ready to attack the offseason both on and off the field."
Mullen announced the members of the spring "Champions Club," a group comprised of players who excelled both on and off the field and met standards set by their position group. The members received the distinction for the "second quarter," consisting of the spring workout period. The first quarter included winter workouts, while the third quarter will be the summer workout period and the fourth and final quarter will be comprised of the fall season.
The list more than doubled from 16 after the first quarter, and 12 players earned the honor for their work in both terms.
SECOND QUARTER CHAMPIONS CLUB
*Denotes first-quarter Champion
Damien Anderson
Charles Bailey
*
Wade Bonner
Sean Brauchle
J.C. Brignone
Chris Cameron
*Jamar Chaney
Kendric Cook
*Aaron Feld
Phillip Freeman
Emmanuel Gatling
Robert Gurley
Patrick Hanrahan
Ty Hardin
Sylvester Hemphill
Heath Hutchins
*Devin Jones
Todd Kilpatrick
Addison Lawrence
*Cameron Lawrence
*
Tyson Lee
D.J. Looney
*John McMillan
Pernell McPhee
Mark Melichar
*Charles Mitchell
*Reggie Odom
*Rodney Prince
*Quentin Saulsberry
Riley Saunders
*Derek Sherrod
Tobias Smith
*
Zach Smith
*Marcus Washington
Louis Watson
Chris White
Austin Wilbanks
K.J. Wright
Mississippi State Bulldogs,
Dan Mullen,
Urban Meyer
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D.J. Williams' incredible story
June 4, 2009 1:00 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
One of the best parts of my job is getting to know people like the Williams family -- D.J.; his sisters, Valerie and Vanessa; and their mother, Vicky.
Of course, D.J. is the star tight end for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the kind of guy who would be a success no matter what he was doing. Right now, he's pretty successful at getting open, catching passes and leaving defenders in his wake.
But his story goes much deeper than football.
I can't begin to imagine what he and his sisters went through as kids and what Vicky endured at the hands of an abusive husband, but their courage in sharing their story so that maybe others in similar crises might be helped is as heartwarming as it gets.
Here's a
link to the story, which ran on the college football page of ESPN.com.
Vicky still volunteers at the
Women & Children First Center for Family Violence in Little Rock, Ark. Also, here's a link to the Web site for the
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Arkansas Razorbacks,
D.J. Williams
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Lunchtime links: Mississippi State signee arrested
June 4, 2009 12:05 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Checking in on what's making headlines in the SEC:
- <LI sizset="168" sizcache="0">Mississippi State signee Dennis Thames was arrested last weekend for "public intoxication-other substance," according to jail records. He's the third Mississippi State player/signee to be arrested this year. <LI sizset="169" sizcache="0">Auburn coach Gene Chizik has given assistants Curtis Luper and Trooper Taylor a lot of freedom and likes the direction of the Tigers' recruiting. <LI sizset="170" sizcache="0">Columnist Ray Melick of The Birmingham News writes that it's obvious SEC coaches aren't afraid of secondary violations. <LI sizset="171" sizcache="0">Columnist John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader writes that there will be no rest for the weary next season at Kentucky when the Wildcats play 11 straight weeks following a bye the second week of the season.
- Former Florida linebacker John Jones plans to transfer to Tennessee State and will be eligible to play right away, Mike Organ of The Tennessean newspaper reports.
Mississippi State Bulldogs,
Dennis Thames,
Kentucky Wildcats,
Florida Gators,
Auburn Tigers,
Gene Chizik
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Former Florida lineman headed to Tennessee
June 4, 2009 10:39 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
John Brown might have been a bust at Florida, but he's going to get
another shot in the SEC.
And he'll also get a chance to face the Gators.
Brown, rated the No. 3 defensive tackle prospect in the country by Scouts Inc. when he signed with Florida in 2007, has committed to Tennessee and will have two years to play for the Vols starting in 2010 after finishing up course work at Northeast Mississippi Community College.
The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Brown never played a down for the Gators after coming to them out of Lakeland, Fla., as a big-time recruit. He started practice late in 2007 after waiting to be cleared academically and hurt his wrist prior to last season and didn't see any action. He left Florida during the spring semester.
The Vols need defensive linemen, and Brown is the fifth defensive linemen to commit to them for the 2010 class.
Florida Gators,
Tennessee Vols
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Limiting signees to 28 no big deal in the SEC?
June 4, 2009 10:14 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
One of my colleagues at ESPN.com, JC Shurburtt, has a piece on the impact the
signee cap of 28 will have on the SEC.
Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, one of the best recruiters in the conference, doesn't think it will have any impact on the Gators, which jives with what Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley told me in Destin, Fla., last week at the spring meetings.
Foley said the Gators were never going to be in the business of grossly oversigning players on his watch.
As Strong correctly points out, what the rule will do is make coaches more discerning on who they do sign. They won't be able to take as many chances. The days of signing a bunch of academically at-risk players just to place them in junior college are pretty much over.
The coaches in the league had favored capping the number at 30, but the presidents and athletic directors won out and stuck with the original proposal of 28.
The reality is that had Ole Miss not signed 37 players this past February, there probably wouldn't be a cap right now.
But the fact that the Rebels signed 12 more players than they could actually bring to school in the fall definitely got the attention of SEC commissioner Mike Slive and immediately became a hot-ticket item at the meetings.
Florida Gators,
Charlie Strong,
Ole Miss Rebels,
Mike Slive
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Petrino likes the competition brewing in secondary
June 3, 2009 3:29 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Some of the fiercest competition when Arkansas' preseason camp opens in August will be in the secondary.
Junior cornerback Isaac Madison and sophomore free safety Elton Ford are the two returning starters, but Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said last week in Destin, Fla., at the spring meetings that nothing's written in stone.
Who could blame him? The Razorbacks gave up a league-high 22 touchdown passes a year ago.
"I think we're going to see a lot of competition in the secondary, and we need to be sure we have everybody in the right spots," Petrino said. "The recruiting class that we signed, the addition of a couple of junior college players and some really good freshmen we have coming in, means there will be great competition. Guys will have to fight for their jobs. That will make everybody in the secondary better."
Two newcomers who should really liven up things in the preseason are junior college safety Anthony Leon and freshman cornerback Darius Winston. The 230-pound Leon, who started his career at Florida State before transferring to the College of the Sequoias, could quickly find his way into the starting lineup. Winston was one of the Hogs' most heralded freshman signees. He was rated by Scouts Inc. as the No. 3 cornerback prospect in the country.
Petrino said it's still too early to know for sure what Ford's status will be this fall. A terrific freshman season was cut short a year ago by a cracked vertebrae in his neck, and he was also held out of contact this spring.
"He's on track and looking great, but we still need to see how he responds when we get to practice," Petrino said. "We're going to do what's best for him. If redshirting him is what's best, that's what we'll do. We'll see how it all plays out."
Arkansas Razorbacks,
Bobby Petrino,
Elton Ford,
Anthony Leon
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Lunchtime links: No more signing frenzies
June 3, 2009 12:42 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
Making the rounds in the SEC:
- <LI sizset="203" sizcache="0">Columnist Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News writes that it's about time the SEC put a stop to oversigning. <LI sizset="204" sizcache="0">Auburn coach Gene Chizik says the Tigers will continue thinking "outside the box" when it comes to recruiting. <LI sizset="205" sizcache="0">One of Alabama's commitments for the 2010 class, receiver/athlete Blake Sims, shows up at Tennessee's team camp. <LI sizset="206" sizcache="0">Georgia has self-reported three secondary NCAA rules violations this year involving its football program, Tim Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. So you see, Lane Kiffin isn't the only who commits violations.
- Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett confirms that he broke his finger in a weight-lifting mishap.
Auburn Tigers,
Gene Chizik,
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Tennessee Vols,
Georgia Bulldogs,
Arkansas Razorbacks,
Ryan Mallett
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Tebow tops poll of college football's best players
June 3, 2009 12:02 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
My countdown of the SEC's 30 best players is out there for all to see.
Florida quarterback
Tim Tebow topped the list, and Tennessee safety Eric Berry was No. 2.
I noticed where Matt Hayes of The Sporting News recently compiled his list of the
Top 25 players in the country, and his pecking order of SEC players was a little different than mine.
His top two were the same. Tebow was No. 1 and Berry No. 8. But Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain was his third SEC player at No. 11 overall, and I can certainly see that. One of my most difficult choices was choosing between Brandon Spikes and McClain. The reality is that they're both great players.
I just feel like Spikes has made more of an impact to this point.
Rounding out Hayes' SEC selections were Alabama receiver Julio Jones at No. 15, Spikes at No. 17, LSU offensive tackle Ciron Black at No. 19, Ole Miss quarterback
Jevan Snead at No. 20 and Florida cornerback Joe Haden at No. 24.
So for the most part, we were in the same ballpark.
The one thing I would say is that I bet there are a ton of coaches out there who would take Snead a lot higher than the 20th pick. But he's only done it for one year in the SEC, which probably holds him back in some people's eyes.
Florida Gators,
Tim Tebow,
Ole Miss Rebels,
Jevan Snead,
Tennessee Vols,
Eric Berry,
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Julio Jones
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Nutt, Johnson on most underrated list
June 3, 2009 9:59 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
A handful of SEC coaches were dubiously included in Heisman Pundit's list of the country's
most overrated coaches.
But Ole Miss' Houston Nutt and Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson recently made the list of the
most underrated coaches. Nutt, whose Rebels are showing up in the top 10 of several preseason polls, was No. 6. Johnson, who guided the Commodores to their first bowl win in 53 years last season, checked in at No. 7.
I'd put Johnson even higher than that, and I think Rich Brooks also deserves mention for what he's done at Kentucky.
The most underrated coach in the country, according to Heisman Pundit, is Baylor's Art Briles.
For the record, the SEC coaches on the overrated list were South Carolina's Steve Spurrier at No. 1, LSU's Les Miles at No. 3, Tennessee's Lane Kiffin at No. 5 and Georgia's Mark Richt at No. 6.
Kiffin made the list even though he's yet to coach in an SEC game.
Ole Miss Rebels,
Houston Nutt,
Vanderbilt Commodores,
Bobby Johnson
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