John Clay's Sidelines

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Ex-U of L quarterback Matt Simms opens fall as the Tennessee starter, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press writes that Simms can’t fool anyone anymore.
• Simms relaxes with the Tennessee offense, writes David Climer of the Tennessean.
• Climer also writes that Derek Dooley expects to get past UT’s coaching turmoil.
• Clarion-Ledger columnist Rick Cleveland writes that Houston Nutt is doing what he must to win.
• Ex-Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville is eager to get things started at Texas Tech, writes Tommy Hicks of the Mobile Press-Register.
• Mississippi State’s split squad focuses on detail work, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

Continue reading ‘SEC: At Tennessee, all eyes on Matt Simms’

Southern Cal AD Mike Garrett has issued apologies to SEC schools.

SEC links for Thursday:

• Tennessee turned down a chance to play Southern Cal in football, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Southern Cal apologizes for false recruiting accusations against Alabama, reports Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News.

• Southern Cal apologizes for tampering accusations against Florida, reports Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun.

• Ole Miss dismisses wide out Patrick Patterson from the team, reports David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.

• Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal has more on the Patterson dismissal at Ole Miss.

Continue reading ‘SEC: Southern Cal issues apologies to SEC schools’

Lane Kiffin is losing a starting defensive end to his old school.

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Southern Cal defensive end Malik Jackson transferring to Tennessee, reports the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Pedro Moura of ESPN Los Angeles also reports on Jackson leaving Los Angeles for Knoxville.

• Bruce Pearl travels to Germany to watch United States’ U-17 team, reports Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel.

• Scheduled to earn $550,000 a year, Damon Evans takes a $237,500 in resignation as Georgia AD, reports Lee Shearer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

• Mark Bradley of the AJC argues that Mark Richt’s position as Georgia football coach will be even stronger with new AD.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes on Damon Evans’ success and then miserable failure.

• Tommy Tuberville is raising some eyebrows in the Big 12, writes Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register.

• John Brantley is ready to take the reigns at Florida, writes Byron Saucer for the Gainesville Sun.

Continue reading ‘SEC: USC defensive end transferring to Tennessee’

AP Photo/Beth Hall

SEC links for Friday:

• Robbie Nieswanger of the NW Arkansas Morning News writes that Arkansas basketball wants to bury the negativity.
• Gary Laney of The Advocate reports that LSU’s Tasmin Mitchell relishes his repeat role.
• Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun writes that frontcourt is key for Florida basketball.
• Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News writes that Alabama basketball is committed to up-tempo.
• In The State, Ron Morris writes on Stephen Garcia’s daunting challenge at Alabama.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News thinks Mark Richt is starting to look like Tommy Tuberville.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Arkansas hopes to negate the negativity’

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News reports that after backlash, SEC will tweak its new media policy.
• In the Mobile Press-Register, Paul Finebaum ranks the best since Bear.
• Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports that Tommy Tuberville visited Mississippi State’s practice.
• David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger reports that a Mississippi Mr. Football gains his eligibility at Ole Miss.
• Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun reports that cornerback Joe Haden is seeing time at quarterback.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: League says it will tweak new media rules’

Greg Byrne

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports that Mississippi State athletics director Greg Byrne, former associate AD at UK, is being treated for melanoma.
• Jay Greeson of the Chattanooga Times Free-Press writes that Lane Kiffin is on a record pace for violations.
• Seth Emerson of The State writes that decision day is looming for Dominique Archie and Devan Downey.
• Maurice Patton of the Tennessean reports that a California point guard has committed to Vanderbilt.
• David Jones of Florida Today reports that Gators coach Billy Donovan is happy for the Magic.
• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News reports that Alabama’s textbook scandal involves 200 athletes.
• Paul Finebaum of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Tommy Tuberville could be at the heart of the rumor mill.
• Daryl Maxie of the AJC reports that a top wide receiver prospect will commit to Georgia and Florida.

Tommy Tuberville was a good football coach. Strike that, Tommy Tuberville is a good football coach. He won at Auburn, won big at times, once turned in a perfect season, and bloodied arch-rival Alabama’s nose for six straight years. All the while, the delusional zealots down on the Plains couldn’t wait to get rid of Coach Tubs.

They flew undercover in the dead of night to interview the sneaky Bobby Petrino while Tuberville, Petrino’s former boss, was still the coach. Happily, they got caught. They crooned over other candidates. When Tubs finally slipped on a banana peel this season, they couldn’t wait to force Tuberville out. Which they did. Tuberville’s own mother says her son’s resignation was forced, and mothers don’t lie.

Actually, Tuberville was probably glad to get his $5 million and leave.

So who did Auburn push Tommy Tuberville out for — Gene Chizik.

Gene Chizik, a coach who went 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State. Gene Chizik, a coach who brings a 10-game losing streak to the Plains. Gene Chizik, not exactly a household name to go up against Nick Saban in the state of Alabama.

That giggling you’re hearing from down south comes from delighted Crimson Tide fans.

And you thought Lane Kiffin was a curious hire at Tennessee.

Mark Schlabach does a good job of summing up the whole episode at espn.com.

Here’s an excerpt:

Given what transpired during Auburn’s 10-day search for Tuberville’s successor, Tigers fans can only hope (AD Jay) Jacobs was caught completely off guard by the former coach’s resignation. If not, Jacobs might have just presided over the most haphazard search in recent college football history.

If the Tigers weren’t going to keep Tuberville, they needed a coach who would unite their divided fan base. They needed a coach who was charismatic enough and confident enough to stare into the eyes of Alabama coach Nick Saban and not blink.

More than anything else, the Tigers needed to do something to sway some of the momentum away from Tuscaloosa.

Instead, Auburn hired a coach who seemed to be a dead man walking at Iowa State. In recent weeks, Chizik demoted both his coordinators and fired two assistant coaches. That’s not a sign of stability.

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Chloe White of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Tennessee’s president is having to defend Phil Fulmer’s appointment as assistant to the president at the same time the school is under a hiring freeze.

• Brittney Whitley of the Opelika News reports on marchers at Auburn protesting the treatment of ex-coach Tommy Tuberville.

• Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Bobby Petrino’s actual contract is different than the letter of agreement he reached with Arkansas before becoming head coach.

• Gainesville Sun’s poll says Heisman race is too close to call between Tebow and Bradford.

• Chip Towers of the AJC reports on Georgia basketball’s win over Virginia Tech.

• Mobile Press-Register columnist Paul Finebaum writes that Auburn must find the right man.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: A freeze at UT, except for Fulmer’

SEC links for Friday:

• Birmingham News columnist Kevin Scarbinsky asks why couldn’t Auburn get along this way before Tommy Tuberville walked away.

• Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register reports that Auburn has a list of coaching candidates.

• Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times wonders if it won’t be tough for Auburn to find a coach who wants to compete in the ultra-competitive SEC.

• Press-Register columnist Randy Kennedy wonders how Auburn is going to top Tuberville.

• Chip Towers of the AJC talks to ex-Auburn offensive lineman and current Georgia assistant Rodney Garner, the recruiting whiz, who says he’d love Tigers’ job.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Can Auburn top Tuberville?’

SEC links for Thursday:

• Mike Herndon of the Press-Register writes that Texas Tech’s Mike Leach sits atop Auburn wish list.

• 

  Tommy Tuberville

  Evan Woodberry of the Mobile Press-Register looks back on the Tommy Tuberville reign at Auburn.

• Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger tackles speculation that Tuberville could be headed to Starkville as Mississippi State’s next coach.

• In the Montgomery Advertiser, Jay G. Tate gives more Tuberville details.

• Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News quotes Bama’s Nick Saban as saying he guesses he’s just a 5-7 away from suffering the same fate as Tuberville.

• On ESPN.com, Ivan Maisel writes that Tuberville ouster merely echoes other SEC changes.

• At CBS Sportsline, Dennis Dodd writes that Auburn is again looking for a great coach — just like the one it had.

• Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley writes that Florida football is looking out for No. 1.

• Mike Organ of the Tennessean reports on Vandy’s embarrassing 19-point home loss to Illinois-Chicago.

• Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist Mike Strange writes on Tyler Smith’s historical triple-double in Tennessee’s win over UNC-Asheville.

• David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger reports that Ole Miss couldn’t hold on, and ends up losing to visiting West Virginia.