Jumbo Package: Ole Miss Always Gets Caught Edition

Crootin'

Alabama adds graduate transfer wing player | AL.com

An addition Alabama coach Avery Johnson said would be made has been finalized. New Mexico graduate transfer Arthur Edwards — a 6-foot-6 guard/wing player — will transfer to Alabama, AL.com has learned. Johnson said in late June that the Tide would soon add a wing player. Johnson added he was hoping for that player to be a graduate transfer, "somebody that has some experience."

As predicted for CAJ's offense, Alabama is getting larger on the wings with much more emphasis on length at the guard and small forward spots. I'm particularly excited for Edwards' arrival too; he is an excellent perimeter scorer and should add valuable points off the bench as a 6th man even if he doesn't win the starting spot at the 3.

Ohio State football | Braxton Miller to remain a Buckeye, source confirms | Buckeye Xtra Sports

Quarterback Braxton Miller will not transfer from Ohio State, a source close to him told The Dispatch this afternoon. Miller, who told The Dispatch yesterday that he will speak to the media soon, will simply address the progress of his rehabilitation and the upcoming season, the source said.

Still no official word, but I (like many of you) think it is a bit odd that Miller would hold a presser just to say his shoulder is fine. Alabama, Georgia, LSU decidedly remain interested and will take that call in a heartbeat.

Quarterback Jawon Pass says Alabama, Auburn are 'still willing to accept my commitment' | AL.com

Alabama and Auburn each have dual-threat quarterbacks committed to their respective 2016 recruiting classes, but adding a second remains a possibility for both programs. The Tigers landed Orlando's Woody Barrett June 3, while the Crimson Tide picked up Texas standout Jalen Hurts two days later. Meanwhile, four-star prospect Jawon Pass remains on the board and has narrowed down his final choices to Alabama, Auburn and Louisville. He says he "has a feeling" where he'll end up and isn't letting Barrett or Hurts affect his decision.

Alabama has been courting Pass the hardest, but speculation amongst the recruiting twitters is that Louisville may get a last minute recruiting victory. Pass has reaffirmed publicly that Alabama-Auburn are his final two. Also, I'm not sold on the Louisville thing for another reason -- I'm not certain that would necessarily be in Pass' best interest: Petrino is an avowed pro-style guy (probably moreso than even Saban,) and Pass' athleticism would definitely be underused in that offense (unless, of course, the Cardinals are also deciding to join Alabama in a revamp of their offensive identity.)

Australian academy prepares punters for US college football | College Football

Experienced Australian rules football players for many years have considered punting in the National Football League after their pro careers at home. Now more young Australians are training with the Prokick Australia academy with plans to bypass the Australian Football League entirely and go straight to the states for a college scholarship. The last two Ray Guy Award winners — to the top punter in the country — were born in Australia and trained at Prokick.

Very cool story about Aussie punters and how this one particular academy trains them for American football. Interestingly, while the emphasis was previously on getting players into the pros, Prokick has moved more towards the college side, where American universities are generally better (and certainly more diverse and numerous) than their Australian counterparts.

Interesting Stuff

Should athletes be allowed to return to school after declaring for NBA, NFL drafts? | AL.com

The proposal, which was a coordinated effort by the NCAA, the NBA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, is an attempt to decrease the number of players who leave school early only to go undrafted. . . The 37.5 percent – 18 of 48 – of underclassmen who left school early, but were not selected in the 2015 NBA Draft is the most of the last decade.

The scourge of one-and-dones has finally caught up with college hoops. Of course a guy like Calipari, who is on the NABC and is its spokesman, is all for the proposal. He and his ilk have done tremendous damage to the game at both levels by flooding the market with one-year player rentals. So, when a player actually doesn't pan out, he can put a butt in a classroom seat for another year and then give it another shot. But, honestly, I think that's a good thing.

A kid shouldn't lose the chance at an education or college eligibility simply because he was advised poorly or overestimated his talents. If college is for anything, it's for learning how to be a grown up and how to make mistakes and overcome them. Entering the draft in and of itself should definitely not be a forever mistake. The rule would also apply to college football players.

The other interesting point about this proposal, should it be passed, is that enforcement and compliance will be extra busy in the future. I can easily see several schools getting that nasty letter from the NCAA's Committe on Infractions that begins, "So, tell us about this agent that All Star signed with before he decided to return to campus."

The return of the classic box safety - Football Study Hall

...defenses facing spread offenses need great tacklers on the field more than ever and needed a way to get the most out of players with abilities like Roy Williams. There are players who can excel in traditional run support roles as well as in coverage but they are rare. Now, teams will still use a traditional "box safety" type player to help attack the offense but they will move him around the field in different positions based on what their other DBs will allow them to do in coverage.

This is a nice piece of work by Ian Boyd wherein he breaks down how a classic box safety (see Collins, Landon) can be used against even today's hyperdrive spread offenses.

How #FSUTwitter and other rabid fan bases become so vicious | FOX Sports

In this Q&A, we discuss, among other things, where the idea for the book came from; the role the local media can play in spurring on behavior; and the most appalling thing she learned about online fanaticism while working on the book. Q: I understand your experiences pursuing a story about Ohio State led to the idea for this book. What was the backstory there?

This is a must-read. It's also a misleading headline. It's framed as "#FSUTwitter and others." In reality, the story is wholly about the Ohio State Buckeyes and the obnoxious, bullying, and frankly a**hole-ish behavior of their fans. Given the conduct of some of our Buckeye guests the past few days, you can readily believe every anecdote in here - from cursing, emotional explosions, justifications of awful player behavior, right down to death threats for mere dissension.

Naughty, naughty

Ole Miss has launched investigation into alleged violations

OXFORD – Ole Miss issued a statement Monday saying that it has offered its "full cooperation" to the NCAA and has launched its own investigation into allegations made by Laremy Tunsil's stepfather of multiple potential rules violations. "We take the obligations to the NCAA and SEC very seriously, and we will continue to educate, monitor and enforce all applicable rules. Any reports are speculation until this process is complete," the statement said.

There has been a metric ton of smoke steaming forth from Oxford the past three years, and particularly with Laremy Tunsil. Could Tunsil be the one who unleashes the malodorous slop that is Ole Miss recruiting? Tunsil, if you will remember, had been all-but committed for two years to Georgia before deciding three days before NSD to commit to Ole Miss (out of nowhere). And, it was thought that if Tunsil did not become a 'Dawg, he was Tide-bound. But, nah, I'm sure the stepdad was lying about cash payments to sign up with Hugh.

De’Andre Johnson dismissed by Florida State after video shows him punching woman - SBNation.com

Florida State dismissed freshman quarterback De'Andre Johnson on Monday night. The dismissal came after the State Attorney's Office in Tallahassee, Fla., released a surveillance video showing Johnson punching a female student at a bar in May. Johnson was already suspended indefinitely following the accusations but now the university has gone a step further, with FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher announcing Johnson has been dismissed.

So, we see what has to happen at FSU to actually be dismissed from the team: photographic evidence and not being as good as Jameis Winston.

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Anyway, I've given you all a ton to discuss. Go forth and do evil.