NCAA Football Update - 3/29/2009

• Michigan QB Nick Sheridan has suffered a broken leg and will miss the remainder of spring practice. In his absence, freshman Tate Forcier has taken over as the #1 QB on the depth chart. Forcier, Sheridan, and Denard Robinson will be competing for the starting job come August.
• Indiana head coach Bill Lynch has made the move of Kellen Lewis from QB to WR official. Lewis, who had a tremendous 2007 season for the Hoosiers, will now be catching passes from his former backup Ben Chappell. Lynch says the move is to get both Lewis and Chappell on the field at one time, which may cause matchup problems for defenses.
• The USC QB race is wide open. There are four candidates and little is known about who may have an edge this spring. Garrett Green, Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain, and freshman Matt Barkley all have a shot.
• Coach Dave Wannstedt has deemed Bill Stull his starting QB but says that if someone else performs better than him this spring and summer he won't hesitate to make a switch. Pat Bostick and Tino Sunseri are also in the running for the job. Wannstedt has rewarded the QB that has performed that best at practice take the final four repetitions each day.
• USF RB Keeley Dorsey died over two years ago and since then no Bulls player has donned his #10 jersey on the field. That is going to change this season. To honor their late teammate, a different USF senior will wear Dorsey's number each game - blank, with no nameplate. Senior QB Matt Grothe will be wearing Dorsey's jersey during their homecoming game and DE George Selvie will put it on for their Senior Night matchup versus Miami on November 28th.

Short one this week!

NCAA Football Update - 3/22/2009

• Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has abandoned any thought of coaching from the press box. He plans to be on the field to yell at players, call plays, and look exhausted. [ESPN]
• Florida State backup QB E.J. Manuel will miss the remainder of spring practice with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand. Manuel has undergone surgery and no timetable has been set for his return. Manuel will be a redshirt freshman this fall and was set to be the primary backup for starter Christian Ponder (soon-to-be redshirt junior). Now soon-to-be sophomore Corey Eddinger will be Ponder's backup, for the time being.
• Uber prospect Bryce Brown selected Tennessee over LSU, Kansas State, and Oregon. Brown joins fellow freshman-to-be David Oku at Tennessee, providing the Volunteers and new head coach Lane Kiffin quite the young stable of backs.
• On to the QB posts... Connecticut may have a five-way battle for the starting QB spot if nothing is resolved this spring. As it stands now, Zach Frazer or Cody Endres are expected to earn the spot but Casey Turner and Johnny McEntee will try to supplant them. If no decision is made before the summer, true freshman Mike Box could have a shot. [Hartford Courant]
• After a rough two years in South Carolina, new starting QB Stephen Garcia has changed his attitude and outlook for the Gamecocks. Vying for the backup job are Reid McCollum, Aramis Hillary, and Zac Brindise. [The State Newspaper & The State Newspaper]
• Domonique Davis, Justin Tuggle, and Codi Boek are vying for the Boston College QB spot. Davis started the final three games of the 2008 season in relief of the injured Chris Crane. New head coach Frank Spaziani does not expect to name a starter until August, allowing all three individuals the time to learn the new pro-style offense. [Boston Herald]
• Former Miami QB Robert Marve has added Nebraska to his list of possible schools he'd be willing to transfer to. Besides the Cornhuskers, Marve lists Purdue, Michigan, Texas Tech, South Florida, and UCLA as contenders for his services. It is widely believed that he will end up with USF. [College Football Talk]
  
• The Syracuse QB race is wide open but it is assumed that one - or both - of the seniors will get the job. Cameron Dantley, who started the final 11 games of the 2008 season for the Orange, and Andrew Robinson, last year's game one starter, should take the job. Head coach Doug Marrone has said he will not go on upside but by who gives the team the best chance to succeed now. Also under consideration are David Legree, Ryan Nassib, and Charley Loeb. [The Post-Standard]
• Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino has not settled on a starting QB as spring practice opens. You'd think redshirt sophomore (for the '09 season) Ryan Mallett would have a leg up on "freshman" Tyler Wilson. However, Mallett has shown little maturity on and off the field despite starting a bunch of games for Michigan in 2007. [Whole Hog Sports]
• Greg McElroy is expected to take over for departed John Parker Wilson as the Crimson Tide's new QB. The challengers are Star Jackson and Thomas Darrah. McElroy was the backup for Wilson last season and is entering his fourth year at Alabama. [Tuscaloosa News]
• Ryan Colburn is the most experience QB left on the Fresno State roster after the graduation of Tom Brandstater, a three year-year starter. Colburn has thrown five passes in three seasons and will be a redshirt junior for the '09 season. Though he is expected to be named the starter, there is a competition for the job. Matt Faulkner, Ebahn Feathers, and Derek Carr are all younger options that will be on the heels of Colburn should he falter. [Fresno Bee]

NCAA Football Update - 3/15/2009

• Oregon head coach, well former head coach, has resigned. Mike Bellotti had been the Ducks head coach for the last 14 seasons and compiled a 116-55 record with Oregon. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has been promoted to head coach. Though Kelly was deemed "coach-in-waiting" in December, it had been widely believed that Bellotti would coach the 2009 season and then step down. His doing so on Friday was a bit of a shock to say the least. Bellotti will now be Oregon's athletic director, starting July 1st. [ESPN]
  
• Chris Low believes soon-to-be sophomore Jordan Jefferson is opening up a wide margin in the QB competition at LSU. Jefferson, who started the final two Tigers games last season, is fighting for the job with incoming freshman Russell Shepard. [Chris Low]
• Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst has gone on record to say he wasn't completely comfortable naming Allan Evridge the starting QB prior to the start of last season. He felt anxious but knew a starter must be named. The Badgers struggled in October and Evridge was eventually replaced by Dustin Sherer, now a senior, who went 4-1 as a starter. Sherer is competing this spring with junior Scott Tolzien, redshirt freshman Curt Phillips, and true freshman Jon Budmayr. Fans seem to be clamoring for Phillips to win the job, who they see as stabilizing the QB spot for at least the next three seasons. [Adam Rittenberg]
• Pundits are down on Oklahoma already, mostly because of their losses along the offensive line and at WR. Gone are Manuel Johnson, Juaquin Iglesias, and Quentin Chaney, who combined for 145 catches for 2,368 yards and 21 TDs last season. Expected to start in 2009 are soon-to-be sophomore Ryan Broyles and soon-to-be senior Adron Tennell. Fighting for the other spots will be soon-to-be sophomores Jameel Owens and Dejuan Miller. However, the Sooners do return Hesiman winner Sam Bradford at QB and two 1,000 yard rushers in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray. Plus, TE Jermaine Gresham is back as well. I think the Oklahoma offense will be OK. [Tim Griffin]
• For the second straight year, Texas QB Colt McCoy will spend his spring break in Peru on a missions trip. Good for him. [Tim Griffin]
• Speaking of good deeds, a group of North Carolina State football players spent their spring break in Mississippi helping the clean up and rebuild effort from the damages caused by Hurricane Katrina over 3.5 years ago. [Heather Dinich]
• Dirk Facer tries to answer the QB conundrum facing Utah after starter Brian Johnson graduated. The Utes opened spring practice on Tuesday. Junior Corbin Louks, Johnson's back up last season, appears to be the front runner. Also competing are JUCO transfer Terrance Cain, redshirt freshman Devonte Christopher, and true freshman Jordan Wynn. [Deseret News]
• According to Robbi Pickeral, former North Carolina QB Cameron Sexton will transfer to Division II Catawba for his final year of eligibility. Sexton started six games in 2008 for injured starter T.J. Yates. The Tar Heels were 4-2 in games that Sexton started. [The News & Observer]
• The bowls associated with the Bowl Championship Series have signed a new contract keeping them associated with the BCS through the 2013 season. The Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange bowls will stay part of the BCS and host the national championship game through the 2013 season. So folks, a college football tournament isn't in the cards until 2014, at the earliest. Yeah, I'm disappointed too. [College Football Talk]
• Who will be the new Wildcats QB? How about two guys? Matt Scott and Nick Foles are each having a strong spring and the Arizona coaching staff may choose to utilize each player during games, at least to start the season. Of course, it is only March. A lot can change before the last weekend in August (which can't come soon enough). [Tucson Citizen]
• Jacory Harris is the starting QB for Miami (FL) in 2009. But who is his back up? Taylor Cook and Cannon Smith are competing for the spot but neither has been very impressive. Both are having trouble holding onto the ball. In other Miami QB news, former starting QB for the Hurricanes Robert Marve has not decided where he will continue his collegiate career. Recently some teams have bowed out of the sweepstakes for the former prep all star, including Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Marve was seen at a recent South Florida practice and Bulls QB Matt Grothe is a senior this season, allowing Marve to start in 2010. [Miami Herald, College Football Talk, and USF Nation]
• Former Hurricanes verbal commit RB Bryce Brown is set to announce his decision on Monday. The #1 recruit for 2009 was spurned by Miami after not signing his letter of intent. Brown is down to four schools: LSU, Tennessee, Kansas State, and Oregon. LSU is believed to be the front runner but brown was seen recently in Tennessee for yet another unofficial visit. [Potential Players]
• Michigan has received a verbal commitment from yet another dual-threat QB, this time it's Inkster QB Devin Gardner. Gardner will enroll in 2010 and compete with Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson for the starting QB job. Looks like Rich Rodriguez is assembling a nice stable of QB's for his spread system. How soon will it be before one of them transfers? I guess it'd be easier for Gardner to switch since he isn't signed. [The Detroit News]
• Who will replace Chase Daniels at Missouri? Right now it looks to be Blaine Gabbert. Jimmy Costello is currently running the second team. Soon-to-be freshman Blaine Dalton and Ashton Glaser are splitting reps with the third team. [Columbia Daily Tribune]
  

NCAA Football Update - 3/8/2009

• There are three candidates that classify as "duh" for early 2009 Heisman front runners. They are QBs Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy. But who are some dark horses? [Zombie Nation]
• The Florida State cheating scandal - uncovered in December 2007 - has been settled by the NCAA. Ten of the University's athletics programs have been affected, including football. Wins will be vacated from the 2006 and/or 2007 seasons meaning that the all-time wins race between FSU coach Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno just got a lot less intriguing. Bowden had trailed Paterno by a mere one game following the conclusion of the 2008-2009 college football season. [Zombie Nation & College Football Talk]
• The Mid-Western Conference went ahead and proposed its new eight-team playoff to the NCAA last week. The MWC seeks to allow any conference entrance to the eight team tournament, not just those from current BCS conferences. Also, the teams would not be determined by a rankings system but by a panel of 12, who will then seed the teams.
• With Matt Stafford a near consensus Top 5 choice in the 2009 draft, redshirt senior QB Joe Cox will be taking over at Georgia. Cox was a heralded prospect when he came to Georgia in 2005. Unfortunately for Cox he could never beat Stafford. Coaches think he can excel and will be one of the best senior QBs in the nation in 2009.
• Former Miami head coach Larry Coker has been named the first head coach of the University Texas-San Antonio football team. UTSA will begin play in 2011 at the FCS level.
• Alabama head coach Nick Saban does not plan on naming a new starting QB prior to the end of spring practice. With John Parker Wilson possibly calling plays in the NFL next season, the QB job comes down to Greg McElroy, Star Jackson, and Thomas Darrah. [Bama Beat]
• Pittsburgh linebacker Adam Gunn was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Gun, who had previously used his redshirt season, suffered a neck injury in the season opener and missed the rest of the teams games. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
• Despite QB Jerrod Johnson returning, Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman is keeping to his word and allowing Ryan Tannehill to compete for the starting spot. [Aggies Insider]
• Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is one of six college coaches heading overseas to talk to and spend time with our troops. And he is very excited about it. [Cleveland.com]
• One of the nations top prospects finally committed to a university for the 2009 campaign. RB David Oku has chosen Tennessee, the program he originally verbally committed to. [Rivals]
• Another top prospect who was yet to decide, TE Orson Charles, has selected Georgia. [Athens Banner-Herald]
• Another team needs to fill a void at QB: Rutgers. QB Mike Teel is gone and Jabu Lovelace, Dom Natale, D.C. Jefferson, and Steve Shimko will compete during spring practice and training camp for the job. Lovelace, Teel's backup the two years ago, suffered a foot injury this winter and will miss spring practice. [North Jersey.com]
• Not another QB quandary! This one, however, surprises no one. LSU head coach Les Miles rarely names a starter, even when one is returning for another year. The job comes down to Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepard. Both are extremely young and raw. Jefferson started the Tigers final two games and will be a true sophomore this fall. Shepard will be a true freshman but was arguably the nation's #1 QB recruit. [Shreveport Times]
• Time to check in with Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg at ESPN... first up is - surprise! - a QB competition. At Michigan State Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins will try to replace Brian Hoyer. [Adam Rittenberg]
• It's been a bit slow at the blog in recent days (it is only early spring, after all) but Rittenberg is chronicling what he calls "positional superlatives". Check out Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota. [Adam Rittenberg]
  

NCAA Football Update - 3/1/2009

• Penn State and Michigan have dropped Russell Athletic as product manufacturers because of their use of unfair labor practices. Student groups on both campuses are recognized as spearheading the movements. [Centre Daily Times & Mlive]
• The Indiana Hoosiers have announced that an additional eight football players are not returning to the team in 2009 and that seven offensive players are switching to defense this coming season. [The Herald-Times]
• The consensus #1 recruit in the nation for 2009 - RB Bryce Brown - apparently will not be suiting up for Miami this fall. Brown had been a Miami verbal for some time but did not sign his letter of intent in early February. Miami has decided to move on. [Miami Herald]
• The possible starting QB for Washington State, Marshall Lobbestael, was arrested last week for being a minor exhibiting signs of alcohol consumption. He was promptly suspended indefinitely from the team. [The News Tribune]
• Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has relinquished his duty as defensive coordinator. He has had the dual coach role since 2005. Replacing him will be co-coordinators Bob Fraser (linebackers) and secondary coach Ed Pinkham. [nj.com]
• The Mountain West wants an automatic bid to the BCS, something other conferences are not happy about. [CBS & ESPN]
• Can things get any worse for Syracuse (football, that is)? All-Big East tackle Arthur Jones has torn a pectoral and will miss four to six weeks after having surgery. If rehab goes as planned he'll be ready just in time for the start of the season. [Syracuse.com]
• Air Force's second-leading rusher is making a switch from RB to QB. Asher Clark will compete with last year's starter Tim Jefferson. Jefferson was last year's MWC Freshman of the Year. [Colorado Springs Gazette]
• The always entertaining (and aloof) Dave "The 'Stache" Wannstedt did a quick question and answer session with Brian Bennett. [ESPN]
• Former USC LB Rey Maualuga is considered one of the best defensive players in the 2009 draft. However, a teammate of his outperformed him in many ways at the combine. No, it wasn't Brian Cushing or Clay Matthews nor was it Mark Sanchez. It was kicker David Buehler. [College Football Talk]
• It's always exciting when two BCS teams play each other, a rare occurrence in the "schedule-cupcakes-to-guarantee-a-BCS-berth" world we live in now. Starting in 2010 LSU and West Virginia will start a home-and-home series. This is great news. Pay attention, Penn State. [LSUsports.net]
• The boy who thought he'd supplant Vince Young at Texas is accepting his fate of never being QB for the Longhorns. After Colt McCoy stepped in and, I guess, has done OK for himself, John Chiles has been asked and has agreed to switch to WR. Talk about your team player. Good for him. [Dallas Morning News]
  
• Michael Crabtree, the former Texas Tech WR and top WR prospect in the 2009 NFL draft, will have surgery on his foot and miss the TTU pro day. Now NFL scouts will have to decide to pull the trigger on the ubertalented athlete without knowing how well he runs without pads on and no contact. Crabtree is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday and will be out of action for 8-10 weeks. [USA Today]
• Former Michigan QB Ryan Mallett was arrested for public intoxication early Sunday morning outside a nightclub near the Arkansas campus, where Mallett is fighting for the starting QB job. [International Herald Tribune]
• As always, ESPN.com Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg has a bunch of great stuff this week. First up is his five positional battles to watch this spring.

Every Big Ten team has some holes to fill, and the process begins in spring ball as position competitions kick off throughout the league. Here are five key spots to watch when practices get under way.

From his blog, the battles are Michigan's, Wisconsin's, and Michigan State's QB, Ohio State's RB, and Penn State's DEs. [Adam Rittenberg]

• There is talk of the Big Ten expanding to a nine game conference slate. However, the mathematical matchups would prevent every team from playing nine conference games, meaning the odds of this happening are just slightly better than there being a FBS playoff system. [Badger Beat]
• Continuing the Mount Rushmore theme at ESPN, Rittenberg does a conference one for the Big Ten. He excludes any and all Penn Staters because they have only been in the conference for 16 seasons. I was wondering where Joe Paterno was until I read that little tidbit. [Adam Rittenberg]
• Rittenberg serves up some more Big Ten juice with his Love/Hate lists.

  Night games in Columbus, Madison and State College -- Noon kickoffs are generally the norm in the Big Ten, which sort of blows but makes the rare night game all the more special. Ohio State will host only the ninth night game in team history this fall against USC, and the atmosphere will undoubtedly be electric. Same goes for any game under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium -- there were two last year -- and at Penn State, which thankfully welcomes night football more than any other Big Ten team.
  

• Yes my Big Ten bias is showing. But I love Adam Rittenberg's stuff. Here's a few more things he has had this past week.

  New faces in the spotlight this spring
  Who will break out in the Big Ten?
  Outlook for national awards in 2009

• OK, this is the last Rittenberg thing for this post, I swear. Penn State and Maryland teamed up for a fundraiser to recognize Global Rare Disease Awareness day on Saturday, February 28th. How did they do this? College football video game tournament! Penn State players participated at the local Damon's Grille. Admission was $5-$10. The winner from each school was to face off against each other to determine a real champion (taking notes, NCAA?). Rittenberg also makes note of Penn State's Lift for Life event. [Adam Rittenberg]

OK, that's enough for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with the next installment of Nittany Lions in the Pros.