John Clay’s Sidelines

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Tennessee media is reporting on Bruce Pearl’s engagement. Report: “Telling fans he wants to remain at Tennessee, Pearl introduced his fiancee Brandy Miller during a stop in her hometown of Sevierville by saying, “If you think I’m leaving that for Memphis, you’re crazy.”
• Drew Edwards of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that Pearl and Lane Kiffin are on a working road trip. Edwards: Kiffin and Pearl, who teased each other during appearances along the way Monday, have gotten to know one another during the last three weeks on the road speaking to various alumni groups around the state and the southeast. “It’s like being with a rock star. Some interesting stories I can’t tell on TV,” Kiffin said of traveling with Pearl. “Being around our people, that’s been unbelievable.”
• Paul Finebaum writes in the Mobile Press-Register that Auburn is on the prowl for attention. Finebaum: “And the most peculiar thing was seeing Nick Saban desperately searching for a way to explain a recruiting trick that he didn’t think of first. Before an alumni function in Birmingham Thursday night, the first question from the media was about Tiger Prowl. Two days earlier in Memphis, Saban was asked the same question. Both times, Saban looked and sounded as if he had just been waterboarded.”
• In The Advocate, Kyle Whitfield writes on LSU coach Les Miles and the Twitter craze. Whitfield: Les Miles congratulated top-three NFL draft pick Tyson Jackson, wished former LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd a speedy recovery after his car accident and bragged about the Tigers’ performance in the annual spring football game. The LSU football coach did all that not at a news conference or radio interview, but during a five-day span using his new Twitter account.”

• Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun writes a notes column that starts with Florida baseball. Dooley: “It has been awhile since a Florida baseball team has had a more important sweep than the Gators did this past weekend. Three straight over Georgia in Athens? Who saw that coming? For the first time this season, I’m starting to think it’s possible for Florida to host a regional.”
• The State reports that an ex-South Carolina signee is headed to UNC-Wilmington. The State: Trevor Deloach, a shooting guard from Saluda, has committed to play at UNC Wilmington, a source close to the player said Monday. Deloach spent his freshman season at South Carolina, but redshirted because of the high number of guards on the 2007-08 team. That was Odom’s final season at South Carolina.
• The Tuscaloosa News reports that star Alabama receiver Julio Jones has undergone surgery for a hernia. News: “Jones underwent procedures in January after the Sugar Bowl to address shoulder and wrist injuries sustained during the season. He took part in spring practice before having the sports hernia surgery.”
• Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald writes that an indoor facility is down the road for Georgia football. Weiszer: Closer to home, Georgia coach Mark Richt was talking last week about how a new indoor practice facility for the Bulldogs is on the back burner while higher priority items get addressed in the Butts-Mehre building expansion and renovation plans. “I still think that’s something down the road, but I had to decide as a head coach `What is most important?’” Richt said. “Our training room needed help. Our weight room needed help. We need more recruiting space. We needed an indoor walk-through area. We needed a place to entertain recruits.”