Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog

LeVias Unwittingly Blazed Trail in Southwest Conference

Terrance Harris — 2010-02-06T15:30:00+00:00

Filed under: SMU

Black History Month has been celebrated in some form since 1924. For sports fans, it is a chance to reacquaint themselves with those who broke down barriers in all areas of competition and all segments of society. Many are now household names and American icons: Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Wilma Rudolph, Muhammad Ali, up to Tiger Woods, Tony Dungy and Venus and Serena Williams today.

Every day throughout February, FanHouse will shed light on the other figures in the history of sports whose breakthroughs were as significant as those mentioned above, but who aren't as instantly recognizable as pioneers. During Black History Month 2010, FanHouse aims to give them their due.

Jerry LeVias

Became the first African American scholarship athlete in the old Southwest Conference in 1965.

Jerry LeVias never set out to be a pioneer when he enrolled in Southern Methodist University and became the first black scholarship athlete in the Southwest Conference. He said he was just adhering to the desires of his grandmother, SMU coach Hayden Fry and, even bigger, God when in 1965 he accepted a scholarship from the Mustangs instead of the more than 100 other college suitors.

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Kiffin's Paris Hilton Act Borders on Elementary ... School

Clay Travis — 2010-02-05T15:16:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, Coaching, Recruiting, General CFB Insanity

Lane Kiffin is the Paris Hilton of college football. He's famous for nothing, essentially, except being famous. While at Tennessee, fresh off a firing from the Oakland Raiders, Kiffin claimed all the negative media publicity that surrounded his 13-month tenure in Knoxville was a deft manipulation of the media. Right. In reality, Kiffin was out of his league when it came to understanding how a major SEC team was covered. Kiffin claimed that the spate of attention, 95 percent of which was negative, was needed to revive a program he characterized as moribund.

A moribund program that was, you know, less than a year removed from playing in the SEC championship game when Kiffin was hired. But, no matter, college football's Paris Hilton had to make a scene. And he did, turning the Tennessee job into an extended version of the The Simple Life. When he bolted for USC, Kiffin claimed he no longer needed to capture media attention because the status of the program was so much better. Then, barely one month into the job, Lane Kiffin went all Paris Hilton on us once more: He offered and accepted the commitment of a 13-year-old quarterback David Sills.

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Signees Give Kelly Hope, Optimism at ND

John Walters — 2010-02-05T13:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Daily Domer, National Signing Day 2010

Due to my overlapping bowling date Wednesday with Seantrel Henderson, whose hand overlapped mine when he shook it, I was unable to listen in on University of Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's Signing Day press conference. Thanks to the miracle of the webernet, though, I was able to peruse his comments on Thursday.

Kelly was funny and forthright, and he also used the term "University of Notre Dame" (as opposed to simply saying, "Notre Dame") 13 times. Granted, that's the school's name, or most of it: if you really wanted to be pretentious, you would say, "The University of Notre Dame du Lac."

Referring to the school by its full, more majestic moniker was no accident. In much the same way that ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski says, "National Football League" instead of "NFL," Kelly was attaching a certain prestige to his program. And that's fine.

Notre -- excuse me, the University of Notre Dame -- Dame signed 23 players to its incoming 2010 freshman class. Five of those players are already on campus, mid-year enrollees. Another 18 faxed their letters of intent on Wednesday, beginning at 7:05 a.m. with defensive end Bruce Heggie, a player who will finish in the Top 10 of his high school class academically and who is the first player in recent memory who comes to South Bend having received no other scholarship offers.

"There's always going to be some questions about recruits that don't have the pedigree," Kelly said of Heggie, "but I kind of like that. I certainly don't have the pedigree, either."

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13-Year-Old David Sills Commits to USC

Tom Herrera — 2010-02-05T07:20:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, General CFB Insanity

David Sills, all of 13 years old, has verbally committed to USC. Sills is a quarterback out of Bear, Del., who has drawn raves for his talent at such a young age.

"His skill set is off the chart," his personal coach Steve Clarkson told ESPN. "I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do." Clarkson has mentored other top quarterbacks in the past, including current USC starter Matt Barkley.

According to the ESPN, new USC coach Lane Kiffin received a verbal commitment from Sills on Thursday evening. "He's already six feet as a 13-year-old," Clarkson said. "And he's breaking down NFL footage."

If Sills has indeed verbally committed to USC, it would be an unprecedented moment for college football, and raises all sorts of questions about recruitment. Forget 2012, we're talking about the class of 2015 here.

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Recruits and Fans Sign up for Jimbo Fisher

Jim Henry — 2010-02-04T12:37:00+00:00

Filed under: Florida State, ACC, Recruiting

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- One voice, one message.

That's the way it's going to be at Florida State for the time being under first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. While that is a departure from the regime of former head coach Bobby Bowden, Fisher's approach and presence has rejuvenated the Seminoles' fan base.

Renewal of booster membership is up 90 percent from this point in 2009 according to the boster association, while the ticket office is reporting an 80 percent increase in new sales over the total from this time last year. And let's not forget Fisher's first recruiting class Wednesday, one that secured a top-10 national recruiting ranking.

Make no mistake: this was Jimbo's class. He's head coach, player personnel director and rush chairman. Though each of his assistant coaches played a role, Fisher signed off on all 24 players.

That's an 180-degree turn from Bowden, who let his assistant coaches handle the evaluations of all players aside from quarterback. And in recent years, Bowden eventually turned that responsibility over to Fisher as well.

"It never felt unnatural. No part of it never felt unnatural," Fisher said of the recruiting process under his command for the first time as a head coach.

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SEC Dominates National Signing Day

Clay Travis — 2010-02-04T11:04:00+00:00

Filed under: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, SEC, Recruiting, National Signing Day 2010

National signing day is close to a regional holiday in the South. Nowhere else in the country is recruiting followed so obsessively. Maybe that's the reason the SEC continues to crush other conferences when it comes to signing the top football classes in the country, fans simply demand it. As Wednesday wound down, the top of the recruiting boards looked awfully similar to the top of the recruiting boards for the past six years: the SEC dominated.

How much so? Tennessee's class finished ninth in the country.

That sounds pretty good, right?

Unfortunately for the Vols, that only put them at fifth in the SEC.

Fifth!

That's because Florida clocked in at No. 1, with a class that some are already calling the greatest in college football history. Auburn pulled in a No. 4 class, Alabama fifth and LSU took seventh. Rounding out the list, per Rivals, Georgia and Ole Miss were 16 and 17, giving the SEC seven of the top 17 classes in America. South Carolina clocked in at 25, Arkansas and Kentucky were 48 and 49, and Vanderbilt was 60.

If Rivals isn't your speed, ESPN had similar class rankings, with five of the top nine classes in the country in the SEC and seven of the top 18.

What does all this mean for the balance of power in the country?

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Henderson Not Signing May Not Be Bad Sign for USC

John Walters — 2010-02-04T00:47:00+00:00

Filed under: Recruiting, National Signing Day 2010

NEW YORK -- "How many texts have you received today, Sean?" the father of Seantrel Henderson was asked on Wednesday afternoon.

"Aw, I don't know," Sean Henderson replied as he intensely scanned the screen of his cell phone. "Way too many to count."

On a day that brought so much peace and, at last, resolution to the nation's top high school seniors, their parents, and the highest-profile college coaches in the nation, the family of America's most coveted recruit found no such solace. Hours after appearing on the CBS College Sports Network to announce that he had chosen USC, offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson remained a free agent. The 6-foot-8, 330-pound tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn., had not yet, according to a New York Times report, signed his letter of intent.

According to Thayer Evans of the New York Times, who spent the past week shadowing the Henderson family (Seantrel, his father Sean and mother Bree Jasper), the Hendersons wanted to wait until after USC appears before an NCAA infractions committee on Feb. 19-21 in Tempe, Ariz. -- it will be four-to-six weeks after the hearing before a punishment, if any, is levied against the Trojans.

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Longhorns Steer Big 12 to Big Signing Day

Terrance Harris — 2010-02-03T20:57:00+00:00

Filed under: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Big 12, National Signing Day 2010

There is no debating the Texas Longhorns have been consistently good on a football field during Mack Brown's 13 seasons on the job.

He's been rewarded with highly ranked recruiting classes, and this year's take is no different. The Longhorns, with their usual grab of Parade All-Americans and four- and five-star recruits, pulled in another stellar class during Wednesday's National Signing Day.

The 25-member class -- which is highlighted by star defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, the player rated No.1 overall in the country by some recruiting services, and No.1 outside linebacker prospect Jordan Hicks, of West Chester, Ohio -- is being touted as the second-best collection of incoming players in the nation. Florida, the 2008 BCS national champion, is No.1 by a very slim margin.

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Big Ten Signing Day a Tale of Misses

Mark Hasty — 2010-02-03T20:48:00+00:00

Filed under: Big 10, Recruiting, Prospects, National Signing Day 2010

Now that the goofy meat raffle we call National Signing Day is mostly over, it's time to count up the "winners" and "losers" in the Big Ten. I put those words in quotes because, as we all know, some of these players will prove they've earned their stars, and some will get smoked by a walk-on come August.

But hey, why rain on the recruitnik parade? After a full day of sitting in front of your computer switching between a Webcast of somebody's fax machine and a press conference held by some player who gets five stars for pass coverage but half a star for last minute hat-swapping, you want to know how those Big Ten teams made out today.

If you place any stock at all in recruiting rankings, it was a pretty "meh" day for the Big Ten. Rivals ranks only Penn State (No. 12) and Michigan (No. 20) among its top 25 classes and says the only five-star recruit in the conference was defensive end Wiliam Gholston, who signed with Michigan State. In fact, the big news in Big Ten recruiting this season appears to be more about who spurned the conference.

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For Meyer, It's Finally Time for a Break

Jim Henry — 2010-02-03T20:32:00+00:00

Filed under: Florida, Recruiting

Urban Meyer will begin his leave of absence on Thursday with another title.

Meyer admits he has gotten himself in trouble in the past with hyping Florida football recruits who were not deserving of it. Well, Meyer was at it again during Wednesday's National Signing Day, but nobody could really blame him. Most recruiting analysts pinned the Gators with the nation's top recruiting class.

This comes a little more than a month after Meyer resigned as the Gators' head football coach, then changed his mind a day later with the plan to take a leave of absence after the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl. Considering the circumstances, UF's recruiting finish borders on amazing.

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Bowled Over on Signing Day, Seantrel Henderson Picks USC

John Walters — 2010-02-03T19:24:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, National Signing Day 2009, National Signing Day 2010

NEW YORK -- The name appeared on the screen of the cell phone: LANE KIFFIN.

The USC coach was just one of many blowing up the phone, via calls and text, of Sean Henderson at the CBS College Sports Network studios at Chelsea Piers on National Signing Day. Henderson, the father of the nation's top-rated recruit, offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, listened.

"You're nervous?" Henderson replied to Kiffin's greeting. "I'm nervous!"

Seantrel Henderson is a 6-foot-8, 330-pound offensive tackle who, in the tradition of the Lakers, is relocating from the Twin Cities to Los Angeles. At the time Kiffin phoned, about two hours prior to the announcement that Henderson made on CBS College Sports Television, the Hendersons were trying on bowling shoes (Size 15 for Seantrel). Sean, Seantrel, mom Bree Jasper and Seantrel's girlfriend of four years, Sheri Houston, were killing time at Club 300, a bowling alley.

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Gators Rule on Signing Day

Brett McMurphy — 2010-02-03T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Recruiting, National Signing Day 2010

It's great to be a Florida Gator?

Is it ever. The University of Florida might want to update its popular chant after National Signing Day. On Wednesday, it wasn't just great to be a Florida Gator, instead "it's never been greater to be a Florida Gator."

Despite the uncertainty involving Coach Urban Meyer's health during the past two months, the Gators not only signed the nation's consensus No. 1 recruiting class, but arguably one of the greatest recruiting classes in recent history.

"It's hard to say best of all-time, but it's up there in recent years," said Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg. "On paper, Florida's class is outstanding, especially on the defensive side of the ball."

Among Florida's top recruits included Moreno Valley (Calif.) defensive end Ronald Powell, Philadelphia defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, Staten Island (N.Y.) defensive tackle Dominique Easley, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) running back/linebacker Matt Elam and Bradenton (Fla.) safety Jon Dowling.

They were all ranked among the best at their respective positions. Powell was rated as the nation's No. 1 overall recruit by Rivals.com and also was named MVP of the 10th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Floyd and Easley were rated as the nation's top two defensive tackles.

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Seantrel Henderson Headed to USC

Brian Grummell — 2010-02-03T17:34:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, National Signing Day 2010

Seantrel Henderson, the mountainous top-ranked offensive lineman will play football at USC. He chose the Trojans over Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida, Minnesota and Miami. Henderson is a product of famed Cretin-Derham Hall high school, which produced Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke and MLB player Joe Mauer.

He's a rare player with the bulk, height and athleticism to be an obvious choice for left tackle at the college level. Thanks to Michael Lewis' The Blind Side, that position has gained extra public notoriety and appreciation, fueling recruitniks' interest in Henderson.

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Signing Day Updates: The Late Shift

Brian Grummell — 2010-02-03T16:34:00+00:00

Filed under: National Signing Day 2010

Signing Day, or National Letter of Intent Day if you want to get all proper about it, is rounding the corner as we head into the evening. By now most recruits have declared themselves and signed that letter of intent but a few holdouts remain.

In the meantime we've compiled a list of names of players who made their decisions final today, affecting the recruiting rankings and by extension, likely performance for many teams since recruiting will forever be the lifeblood of success in college football.

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Signing Day Updates: Florida Rolling

Brian Grummell — 2010-02-03T15:53:00+00:00

Filed under: Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, USC, National Signing Day 2010

Some are saying that the Florida Gators are putting the finishing touches on one of the greatest recruiting classes, ever. How's that for a headline on this latest of a most unusual America celebration: signing day? There are people that annually skip work and plunk down big dollars to secure a seat at rubber chicken celebration dinners, so this is kind of a big deal no matter how absurd the guesswork and ogling of men not even two decades into their lives.

And yeah, the Gators. Let's hold the fire on calling it an all-time class just yet -- the closest example in recent memory was USC's 2003 class that gave us Reggie Bush, Steve Smith, Sam Baker, Sedrick Ellis, Lawrence Jackson, Ryan Kalil and LenDale White. Florida has secured some ridiculous talents including stealing two high profile players from California in defensive lineman Ronald Powell and defensive back Josh Shaw.

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Team Ego Chooses LSU

John Walters — 2010-02-03T14:59:00+00:00

Filed under: LSU, National Signing Day 2010

NEW YORK -- At the CBS College Sports TV studios in New York, three middle-aged men with slight (okay,slightly more than slight) paunches are donning "Team Ego" shirts. All three have connections to four-star defensive lineman J.R. "Ego" Ferguson, who earlier Wednesday committed to LSU. They are Ego Ferguson, Sr., Daryl Tilghman, a former coach, and Geoff Barry, a family friend.

"I travel so much to all of J.R.'s games and camps," Ego Sr. says, "that it's nice to have company along for the ride."

J.R., who spent autumn as a student at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, surprised even himself with his collegiate choice.

"Until last night I was strictly FSU (Florida State)," Ferguson, whose mother lives in Titusville, Fla., told FanHouse. "Then last night my mom and dad and I had a discussion. Sometimes you gotta leave the nest. Go farther from home."

Granted, Baton Rouge is not all that much farther west (442 miles) down I-10 from Tallahassee (and, as FSU commitment Bjoern Werner knows, it's farther from Germany!). But it appeared to be the best compromise.

"We were up until two in the morning last night debating this," Ego Sr. said. "I wanted him to go to Notre Dame but he said, 'Dad, it's too cold'."

J.R.'s mother thought that it might be healthier for her son to leave the nest, i.e., not bet so close to her central Florida home. And so it became LSU.

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Before Internet, Recruiting News Came 90 Cents Per Minute

Jim Henry — 2010-02-02T20:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Recruiting, National Signing Day 2010

The 1992 newspaper advertisement in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette encouraged fans to dial the 900 number for Mike's daily recruiting news, 24 hours a day. There were separate lines for Pittsburgh, Penn State, West Virginia and Notre Dame. There were even special lines that provided comments from coaches and recruits and, better yet, one for questions to be personally answered by Mike.

All for 90 cents per minute.

Don't laugh. It was a different world back then when it came to covering college football recruiting. Today, an entire industry devoted to college football recruiting exists on the Internet, driven by the thousands of subscribers who can now follow every move and catch every breath a prospect makes.

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An Obsessive's Recruiting Addiction

Clay Travis — 2010-02-02T19:24:00+00:00

Filed under: Recruiting, National Signing Day 2010

My name is Clay Travis and I'm addicted to college football recruiting. Don't judge me, if you're reading this less than 24 hours before the big day, you're probably addicted too. My addiction crystallized Sunday evening, just three days from signing day, when during HBO's Big Love -- Benny, how could you! -- I checked three recruiting websites, reviewed my e-mail four times, refreshed my Twitter feed eight times, and scanned my Facebook wall and messages three more times.

Yep, social media makes you easier to reach than ever before and it opens up the entire world to your purview, but it also means that information is coming from so many different directions at the same time it can make your head spin.

Eventually my wife turned to me and said, "Are you working during Big Love?"

The answer was yes; I needed a hit of recruiting news as we entered the final, frenzied push to the finish line. Even an hour was too much time to be away from the action.

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Colleges Do UDiligence to Prevent Social Networking Embarrassment

Jim Henry — 2010-02-01T17:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Mississippi

Jamil Northcutt doesn't mean to be nosy.

However, Northcutt, assistant athletic director for Internal Operations at Ole Miss, wants to make sure Rebel student-athletes understand the importance of protecting their brand and the university's image each time they click into a social networking page. Scouting out questionable content can keep athletes and athletic programs out of embarrassing situations.

Northcutt isn't an old fogie, either.

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Pitt to the Big Ten? Maybe, Maybe Not

Mark Hasty — 2010-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

For a few hours, it looked like the Big Ten had finally made good on its promise to put expansion on the front burner. A post at Bleacher Report said that student athletes at Pitt were told the school would be joining the Big Ten and an announcement would be coming by Friday.

One of Pitt's media relations people, E.J. Borghetti, quickly tweeted a denial: "Now hear this: rumors on Internet message boards should be read for amusement purposes only, and not consumed as responsible journalism." Of course, that tweet doesn't contain the magic word "no," so is it possible that there's some truth to this rumor?

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