Category: Vanderbilt

Saban and Smart go head-to-head on transfers

Nick Saban and Kirby Smart have gone head-to-head on transfers at the SEC Spring Meetings this week. The Alabama head coach has long been derided for denying players the right to go where they want – particularly inside the SEC. This year he’s getting the heat for not allowing graduate student (and back-up center) Brandon Kennedy the right to transfer to Auburn or Tennessee. This comes a couple of years after the Maurice Smith debacle, where the SEC eventually had to intervene and let the player transfer to Georgia. Smart wants to do quite the opposite – and let players transfer to whatever school they wish. Typically, Saban shrugged his shoulders during a press conference and said that it is not

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Former SEC Commissioner Slive dies

Former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive has passed away aged 77 after losing his battle with cancer. He lived from 1940 to 2018, and is survived by Liz, his wife of 49 years. Slive was the commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2015, where under his guise the conference won numerous national championships across a number of sports – most famously including football. In all, the SEC won 81 national championships in 17 of its 21 sponsored sports during Slive’s tenure, the press release announcing his passing away said. With Slive as commissioner, the SEC expanded from 12 to 14, adding Missouri and Texas A&M. Under Slive’s tenure, the SEC also formed a powerful TV partnership with ESPN, which generated untold millions for

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Top 10 SEC Games of 2017

It’s a strange few weeks in college football. It’s not the summer yet so we haven’t seen SEC players get arrested for robbery, possession of weed, public intoxication, and fights. Spring practice has ended so there are plenty of questions. Players who aren’t going to start are looking to graduate to other programs. We think it’s a childish approach, but then again, that’s just us. So we decided on a retrospective. Here are your top SEC games of the 2017 season. Georgia 54, Oklahoma 48: Down 31-17 at the half of the National Championship Semi-Final, Georgia takes the game to double-overtime before Sony Michel takes it to the house for a 27-yard touchdown. Talk about redemption for Michel: It was his

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Georgia gives Kirby Smart massive new contract extension

Georgia has given Kirby Smart a massive contract extension following the Dawgs’ SEC Championship-winning season (and heartbreaking play-off loss). Smart will earn $49 million over seven years, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the SEC, as well as the country. “I’d like to first thank President [Jere] Morehead and athletics director Greg McGarity for allowing me to lead this program,” Smart said in a statement. “I’m humbled by the faith they’ve placed in me and won’t ever take that for granted. I’d also like to thank our staff and our entire football family. Without their hard work and dedication we wouldn’t have been able to have the kind of success we’ve had in such a short period of

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The future doesn’t look good for Jalen Hurts, either way

As much as Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts respects his father Averion, I’m sure there’s a little bit of him that wishes his Dad would have shut up. Jalen Hurts didn’t need his father to tell the world about the man-to-man conversation they had in an interview with Bleacher Report. He certainly didn’t need Averion to repeat the words that he said to Jalen after his awful National Championship Game performance: “You f–ked up, you opened the door and put yourself in this situation…”Now it’s up to you to dig yourself out”. Jalen Hurts certainly didn’t need Averion to practically threaten Alabama head coach Nick Saban LaVar Ball-style with his son’s transfer should he not get the starting job by saying: “My job

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SEC teams and their No.1 overall NFL draft picks

A lot of players who come out of the SEC make good NFL players. Some even make Hall of Fame players. But it’s strange to think that the biggest college football powerhouse in the SEC – Alabama – hasn’t had a No.1 overall draft pick since 1948. So it got us thinking: When was the last time every SEC school had a first overall pick? For some it was very recently (Myles Garrett, Texas A&M 2017), and for some (ie Arkansas, Florida, Missouri), they are still waiting. There are a couple of SEC times who haven’t had one in their history. Then there are some schools who seem to churn them out. So here we go: Alabama: 1948 (Harry Gilmer)

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10 SEC players we can’t wait to see in the NFL

The SEC has been a goldmine for the NFL. Players from all over the South (and Missouri) descend to the Professional-land, and every year, the leagues are stacked. Some are megastars (Odell Beckham Jr, Mark Ingram), some are bit players, but all of them played for the most passionate conference in college football. To off-quote New York: If you can make there, you can make it anywhere. Anyway, the SEC Football Blog has identified 10 players that we can’t wait to tear up the professional leagues – mainly because they are so damned exciting. Oh, and Alabama and Georgia fans: We weren’t going to put all of your players onto this list, so apologies if some of your competitors make

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Finally, Nick Saban appoints his assistants

Nick Saban didn’t have to look hard for his assistants – and there was no real surprise when they were announced. Mike Locksley has been announced as offensive coordinator, replacing Brian Daboll who left to be OC for the Buffalo Bills after the school’s National Championship win over Georgia. Saban has appointed former Penn State wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Josh Gattis as joint offensive-coordinator and wide receivers coach. Gattis has done incredibly well in his time at State College, and Alabama will be fine. Tosh Lupoi will be the school’s defensive coordinator, although Saban also hired UTSA assistant coach Pete Golding to be its co-DC and defensive line coach. Lupoi and Golding will replace Jeremy Pruitt, who

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The SEC produces a lot of NFL WRs and RBs, but why not QBs?

The SEC is going to continue a strong tradition of NFL wideouts come to the 2018 NFL Draft. Calvin Ridley (Alabama), and Christian Kirk (Texas A&M) are both expected to be first or second round picks in April, while it’s expected that there will be takers for DJ Chark (LSU), Antonio Callaway (Florida), JMon Moore (Missouri), Javon Wims (Georgia) and Robert Foster (Alabama). In 2019 the top wide receiver going is probably going to be Ole Miss’ AJ Brown, although Deebo Samuel (South Carolina), Tyrie Cleveland (Florida) and Terry Godwin (Georgia) could also create some noise if their 2018 seasons go as well as they are hoping for. In our opinion, Samuel was a Heisman contender before he got injured against

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Why can’t LSU compete for a National Championship?

Six seasons without competing for a National Championship or being remotely close to a SEC Championship for LSU fans. Offensive coordinator experiments haven’t worked out, quarterbacks are out, and Les Miles is out. For us, the major factor has been quarterbacking. Formerly a quarterback factory (Matty Mauck, Matt Flynn, Jamarcus Russell) LSU hasn’t had a good quarterback since the heydays of Matt Mauck, Matt Flynn and Jamarcus Russell. Jarrett Lee hardly set the world alight, Jordan Jefferson managed four years at LSU with a quarterback rating of 58.6 (that’s how bad the situation was), Zach Mettenberger had a cannon but continued to be injured, and Brandon Harris went from being part of Bruce Feldman’s book “The QB”, 2nd-ranked QB in

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