ESPN SEC Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Thanks to David Hale of The Macon Telegraph, we have a little better feel of who's the front-runner to be Georgia's go-to guy at tailback this season.

It doesn't sound like the Bulldogs will have ... one.

Redshirt freshman Carlton Thomas, who was the star of the spring, tells Hale that he's braced for the Bulldogs to use more of a tailback-by-committee approach this fall.

Makes sense.

Knowshon Moreno was the complete package, but Caleb King, Richard Samuel and Thomas all do different things well and figure to be utilized depending on the situation.

Georgia coach Mark Richt likes to use multiple backs anyway and told me back in the spring the running game wasn't a concern. He likes the combination of Georgia's offensive line experience returning as well as the Bulldogs' overall ability at running back.

King didn't exactly jump out there and seize the job this spring, which prompted some to wonder if he had the toughness and drive to be a great back in the SEC. He certainly has the talent, and by all accounts, has been fueled more than ever this summer by some of the questions surrounding his so-so spring.

Samuel, with his speed, and Thomas, with his moves and shiftiness, should complement King well, and don't forget about redshirt freshman Dontavius Jackson and true freshman Wayshaun Ealey.

"We have everything it takes to be a very good team running the football, but we have to go out there and prove it," junior offensive guard/tackle Clint Boling said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Referring to it as the reinventing of Tim Tebow would probably be a bit strong.

Refining, maybe. But certainly not reinventing.

The Gators' senior quarterback -- the same guy with two national championships and one Heisman Trophy under his belt -- has spent much of this offseason tweaking his sidearm throwing motion, working more from under center and generally doing the things that will make him a hotter commodity as a quarterback at the NFL level.

It's made for good fodder and some lively conversation while we await the kickoff of the 2009 college football season.

But this just in: Tebow is still going to be Tebow.

He's still going to run when there's an opportunity. He's not going to be afraid to take on linebackers near the goal line. He's not going to have a textbook release when he cuts one loose down the field and he's not going to be conventional.

That's not Tebow.

His game is doing whatever it takes to win and bringing his teammates along with him.

So what if he has an awkward windup when he throws. He completed 64.4 percent of his passes last season and threw 30 touchdowns to go along with four interceptions.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier told me at the SEC spring meetings back in May that he's not sure he's ever seen a more effective college quarterback on third down than Tebow.

When the Gators need a conversion, Tebow finds a way to move the chains.

But as his senior season nears, all we've heard about is how we might see a little different version of him.

Two things are at work here.

First, Florida coach Urban Meyer genuinely wants to see Tebow have the best chance he can at a long and prosperous NFL career as a quarterback. Meyer and Tebow share a close bond. And why not? Look at what they've done for each other.

Secondly, Meyer knows as well as anybody that it doesn't help him at all if one of the best college quarterbacks of this era doesn't get a serious look as a quarterback in the NFL. Imagine how difficult it would be then to recruit a quarterback to the Gators' spread offense.

Of course, the talk coming out of Gainesville is that Florida will incorporate more of an NFL-style passing game into its offense once John Brantley takes over at quarterback in 2010.

For the time being, the Gators will have to make do with Tebow and all his quirks as a passer.

Somehow, I think it's all going to work out.

ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel and Chris Low discuss the SEC's red-hot rivalries for '09.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

A check of what's making headlines in the SEC:

• Neil Caudle is one of seven quarterbacks going through voluntary 7-on-7 workouts at Auburn this summer, but knows he enters preseason practice next month with his first legitimate chance to win the starting job.
• Prized receiver signee Alshon Jeffery makes the grade in his online course and is ready to enroll in summer school classes at South Carolina.
• It's back to football for Georgia defensive tackle Ricardo Crawford after spending two weeks last month in England as part of the university's study abroad program.
• Tennessee is revamping its season-ticket process, and donors to specific academic programs will no longer qualify for tickets to football games or any athletic events. The new policy goes into effect in the 2010-11 season.
• Columnist Ray Melick of The Birmingham News writes that the BCS bosses don't care if most of college football (including the fans) want a playoff.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Biggest reason for hope: Experience, coaching and belief

Take a look at the depth chart, and you'll see that the Commodores have experience in key spots. On defense, Patrick Benoist, Myron Lewis, Chris Marve, Greg Billinger, Broderick Stewart and Ryan Hamilton have all played a lot of football, while everybody is back on the offensive line along with a healthy Jared Hawkins at tailback. It also goes without saying that Bobby Johnson has proven he can coach them up pretty well. Does any other staff in the SEC get as much out of their talent as the Commodores? There's also a belief on this team now that it can compete in the SEC, and much of that goes back to Johnson and the way he's elevated the program and elevated the talent level. Remember, Vanderbilt won four games in the SEC last season, and only Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss won more.

Biggest reason for concern: Not enough punch on offense

There's still the matter of sorting out who's going to be the quarterback, and the reality is that Larry Smith and Mackenzi Adams are both going to play. There wasn't enough separation in the spring to name a starter. A bigger question is: Who are they going to throw to? Justin Wheeler blew out his knee during spring practice, and talented transfer Terence Jeffers is still working to be eligible this fall. On paper anyway, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of big-play capability on this offense, and having to drive the field all the time for touchdowns is risky business against SEC defenses. The Commodores should be a little better at running the ball this season and controlling the clock, but they're going to have to find a way to score more points if they want to get back to a bowl game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

This is the time of year all coaches hate, especially when it comes to waiting on signees to get to campus.

In Vanderbilt's case, it remains to be seen if one of those signees will ever make it to campus.

Offensive lineman Justin Cabbagestalk, who signed with the Commodores in February, was arrested Tuesday night in his hometown of Tampa, Fla., and charged with a felony count of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.

Through a spokesman, Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said he wouldn't comment on Cabbagestalk's status until more facts were known. 

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Jeremy Hillman of SouthernPigskin.com has ranked the SEC stadiums using his own formula.

I agree with him that Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is the toughest place to play for an opponent. The noise in the Swamp is deafening, and the heat is even worse.

But if I were ranking my 12 stadiums in terms of the places I most look forward to attending a football game in the fall, my order would differ a bit.

Here's my top 12:

1. LSU: There's no other experience in college football quite like a Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. 

2. Alabama: You still get to hear Bear Bryant's voice on the JumboTron just before the Tide come racing onto the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

3. Tennessee: Neyland Stadium is getting a facelift on the banks of the Tennessee River.

4. Georgia: What a setting for a football game. Sanford Stadium has it all.

5. Florida: Take your earplugs. No stadium holds noise like the Swamp. 

6. South Carolina: One of the most underrated game-day experiences in college football. Gotta love the Cockabooses.

7. Ole Miss: The Grove won't be the only attraction this season. The Rebels will start the season ranked in the top 10, which will only make the Grove that much more festive.

8. Auburn: Watching the eagle come soaring in and make his landing just prior to the game never gets old.

9. Arkansas: Razorback Stadium is getting new synthetic turf for this coming season. 

10. Mississippi State: Hope you like the sound of clanging cowbells.

11. Vanderbilt: Part of Vanderbilt's commitment to Bobby Johnson was to spruce up the stadium, particularly how it looks outside.

12. Kentucky: Come November, Commonwealth Stadium can turn bitterly cold.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Some SEC links to munch on:

• Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins, seeking to have his record wiped clean following his arrest, signs a deferred prosecution agreement.
• Seth Emerson of The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., ranks the SEC's projected starting quarterbacks.
• Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown, who's lifted the Wildcats' once maligned defense to respectability in the SEC, expects that progress to continue in 2009.
• Winning the in-state recruiting battle is just part of the picture for Alabama and Auburn, writes Mike Herndon of The Mobile Press-Register.
• LSU picks up a commitment from Storm Johnson, a top running back prospect from Loganville, Ga.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Biggest reason for hope: Playmakers on defense

With the way All-America safety Eric Berry finds the end zone every time he intercepts a pass, who could blame the Vols if they gave him a few more chances on offense this season? He's the ultimate ball hawk in the secondary and should be a perfect fit in Monte Kiffin's defense. Berry can hit, cover and force turnovers with the best of them. He's not the only one, either. Linebacker Rico McCoy is one of the more underrated players in the league and provides Kiffin with the kind of versatile linebacker who can move around and fill different roles. Defensive end Chris Walker also showed in the spring that he's poised to be the kind of finisher off the edge that all the great defenses possess. The guy can really get to the quarterback.

Biggest reason for concern: Scoring points

It would be short-sighted to pick quarterback play or offensive line muscle or the lack of big-play receivers and say one of those areas was where the Vols were most vulnerable on offense. The truth is that they enter this season very much an unproven quantity across the board when it comes to moving the ball and scoring points. Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens both struggled at quarterback last season. Will either one be markedly better this coming season? There's no depth in the offensive line, and protecting the passer figures to be a problem. The passing game was abysmal a year ago, and part of the problem falls on a group of receivers that didn't make many plays. Most of those guys are back, but it's difficult to point to anybody returning and label him as a game-breaker. It could be that true freshman running back Bryce Brown will be the most dynamic offensive threat the Vols have in 2009.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The latest twist in Eric Berry's 13-year-old brother committing to Tennessee is that his father, James Berry, tells the Knoxville News-Sentinel that the whole thing was basically blown out of proportion.

Yes, Evan Berry wants to go to Tennessee at this point, but James Berry says there was no planned announcement and that a reporter ran with the story too soon when it was reported Monday on Rivals.com.

What's all this mean?

Exactly what I thought it meant when I first heard about Evan Berry's commitment.

Recruiting and the circus surrounding it (especially the publicity that it generates) gets a little wackier by the day. And for a 13-year-old to be committing to any school is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

It means nothing. Too much can change on both sides of the equation.

That said, Evan Berry may well end up at Tennessee. It sounds like he has all the tools to be a terrific player.

Check back in four or five years, and we'll revisit this story.

In the meantime, let's allow him to be a kid.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

If you haven't heard by now, one of Tennessee's latest commitments is from a 13-year-old who hasn't even started high school yet.

Not just any 13-year-old, mind you. But the younger brother of Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry.

Evan Berry told Rivals.com on Monday that he was committed to the Vols. Never mind that given the precarious nature of coaching in the SEC that this current Tennessee staff may well be long gone by the time he ever gets around to signing a letter of intent.

The year of his signing class?

Try 2013

Now before everybody else in the SEC starts laughing and shaking their collective heads, there's not a school in this league that wouldn't love to have somebody on its team with the Berry bloodlines. Evan has a fraternal twin, Elliott, who's also quite the athlete.

But that's not the point.

The point is that the whole idea of kids committing to a school before they've ever even stepped foot in a high school classroom (and the publicity it generates) is absurd.

But maybe that's it. Maybe the publicity is exactly what the Vols were seeking.

Lane Kiffin has been a master to this point at generating publicity (both good and bad), and the Vols were able to close this most-recent recruiting class with a flurry. So he's obviously doing something right.

But a 13-year-old kid?

Even Evan's father, James Berry, concedes that four years is a long time and a lot can happen.

Think about how many times a lot of high school juniors change their mind in a matter of months after committing to a school.

As good as it sounds like Evan is going to be, these next four years should really be a whirlwind.

What's next, though?

Staking out recess at the elementary school playgrounds.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Biggest reason for hope: Ellis Johnson and his defense

South Carolina's defense was the reason the Gamecocks made it to a bowl game last season, and even though there will be some youth in key spots, rest assured that defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson will again have an attacking, resilient unit that will keep the Gamecocks in just about every game they play. Getting tackle Ladi Ajiboye back from suspension was a big boost, and outside linebacker Eric Norwood is the kind of difference-maker you can build a defense around. He's the SEC's active leader in both career sacks and tackles for loss. The Gamecocks will be young in the secondary, but freshman cornerback Stephon Gilmore has everything it takes to be a special player. Steve Spurrier has already called him one of the best freshmen he's ever signed. That's some pretty heady stuff, coming from the Head Ball Coach.

Biggest reason for concern: Youth and inexperience everywhere

Fans always get juiced up about the new guys, the players we've heard a lot about, but haven't seen a whole lot of on the field. Well, the Gamecocks will be counting on too many of those guys this coming season. Think about it. Sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia is going to be the centerpiece of the offense, and he's only gone through one season in the SEC and one spring practice. He doesn't have much in the way of returning experience in the backfield or at receiver, either. That's not to say that Eric Baker, Jason Barnes or Jarvis Giles won't break out and have big seasons. All three have the potential, but potential is a scary word in the SEC. It's a similar story on defense, especially in the secondary. The Gamecocks will lean heavily on a pair of true freshmen -- cornerback Stephon Gilmore and safety DeVonte Holloman -- and will be keeping their fingers crossed that sophomore cornerback C.C. Whitlock gets eligible this summer.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Some skeptics would suggest that recruiting and acting are really one in the same.

Perhaps it's fitting then that several current and former SEC coaches are playing themselves in the upcoming movie "The Blind Side," which is based on Michael Lewis' best-selling book about former Ole Miss star Michael Oher.

Among the coaches who passed through Atlanta earlier this month to shoot scenes for the movie were Nick Saban, Lou Holtz, Tommy Tuberville, Ed Orgeron, Phillip Fulmer and Houston Nutt.

ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach was on hand for the filming of some of those scenes and gives an interesting perspective of how the coaches fared in front of the movie cameras. Alabama fans are going to love this, but Saban actually plays the LSU coach in the movie. That's where he was coaching when he tried to recruit Oher.

Leigh Anne Tuohy, who helped foster Oher through high school, credits Saban with helping to get all of the coaches to jump onboard and play themselves.

Check out what she says about Saban, though:

"I told him, 'You'd better play yourself. If you don't, I'm going to find a short, ugly guy to play you.' You know how vain Nick is. He probably thought about it and said, 'I'd better play myself.'"

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Biggest reason for hope: Quarterback Jevan Snead and cast

Honestly, there's a lot to choose from. Tyrone Nix's defense should again be outstanding, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a deeper defensive line anywhere in the country. But this team will go as Snead goes, which has to be music to the ears of the Rebels' fans. He was brilliant during the last half of the season a year ago and figures to be even better now that he's been through a whole SEC season and has a better grasp of what defenses are trying to do to him. Offensive coordinator Kent Austin will also give him a bigger chunk of the playbook, and Snead has a lot of confidence in the playmakers around him, including Dexter McCluster, Shay Hodge, Brandon Bolden, Cordera Eason, Lionel Breaux and Markeith Summers.

Biggest reason for concern: Handling the hype

It's been repeated ad nauseam ever since last season ended, but one of the biggest hurdles for Ole Miss in 2009 is being able to absorb all the expectations and perform in the favorite's role. This is new ground for this program as well as for the players on the team. Nobody really saw the Rebels coming last season. They will start this coming season as one of those teams everybody is talking about and will be a team everybody circles on their schedule. The proper leadership will be key, which is where players like Marcus Tillman, Kentrell Lockett, Greg Hardy, John Jerry, McCluster and Snead all come in. It's also on Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt to prove that he can just as effectively motivate and prepare a team that everybody is picking to do well as he can one that flies into the season under the radar. His best teams at Arkansas were typically those that came from the back of the pack and excelled in the underdog role.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Biggest reason for hope: Strength up the middle on defense

Mississippi State needed an enforcer on defense and got one in the form of junior college newcomer Pernell McPhee, who was dominant this past spring from his tackle position. He's athletic enough to play end, but was such a force inside that the Bulldogs will keep him there. There were times on the practice field that he wrecked everything the offense was trying to do. He has a chance to be one of those new faces in the league that everybody in the country knows by the end of the season. He also has a menacing cast of linebackers behind him, led by Jamar Chaney in the middle. Chaney is back for his senior season after breaking his ankle in the opener a year ago. He's flanked by K.J. Wright and Chris White, another impressive junior college newcomer. All three linebackers weigh 240-plus pounds and are fierce tacklers. It will be no picnic trying to run the ball on the Bulldogs this season.

Biggest reason for concern: Too much new on offense

Much of the spring was devoted to installing Dan Mullen's spread offense, and the truth is that it won't be fully installed until the Bulldogs can add some more firepower at receiver. A few of the freshmen enrollees will help this season, but you know what they say about first-year players in the SEC. Quarterback Tyson Lee isn't entirely new, but this will be his first season running this offense. It will also be the first time that he's entered a season as the starter, and that's assuming there are no surprises in preseason practice and somebody beats him out. Even though the new staff has had the spring and will also have the preseason to get a better feel for the personnel on offense, it's difficult to be sure who can do what until you see them in the games. All in all, the Bulldogs figure to be pretty limited in what they will be able to do on offense this first season under Mullen.