National Signing Day 2013

Alex Collins and his father (sans mother) signing his Letter of Intent. Collins said he wore a camo suit "for the fans."

Usually at this point in the game, 24 hours later, writing a National Signing Day column is considered late. Thanks to Alex Collins' mama drama, deadline has been extended. This day seems to get wilder and more unpredictable as the years pass, and as social media continues to grow along with college football's importance nationwide, there is no where but zany for it to go. Here are a few things that stuck out to me looking back at this year's big day:

ALEX COLLINS' MOTHER STOLE THE SHOW- It would not be Arkansas football if there wasn't a circus involved, and thanks to Collins' mother we got a party. Collins, a Miami native, was all set to sign his Letter of Intent to play football at Arkansas, a decision he made on Monday night on national television. It should have been a time to honor the hard work he has put in earning a scholarship and a time to celebrate his decision.

However, as has been well reported, his mother came to the signing ceremony at Collins' school and took the binding paperwork because she wants him to play at Miami University in Florida. What makes this story even more difficult to understand is that Collins does not even live with his mother.

This afternoon he signed official paper work, cosigned by his father, which officially makes him a Razorback. His mother on the other hand has hired lawyers from a Johnny Cochran law firm to try and prevent his move to Arkansas. Her reasoning per her lawyer: "her only concern is Alex's well being." Give it a break, lady.

THE OLE MISS SURPRISE- Don't get me wrong. I loved my experience at The Grove and weekend in Oxford when the Rebels hosted Samford in 2010. But before Rebel fans get too excited about the future, thinking under coach Hugh Freeze you will challenge the SEC West big boys, namely Alabama, let's take a look at what happened in order for you to land the No. 7 class in 2013.

Ole Miss landed the No 1 recruit at the following positions: defensive end (Robert Nkemdiche), offensive lineman (Jeremy Tunsil), wide receiver (Laquan Treadwell), and a top-notch defensive back (Antonio Conner).

Nkemdiche has an older brother already at Ole Miss, who did some serious recruiting, and a mother who made it public that she wanted her boys to play together. Conner is from South Panola High, a Rebel stronghold for years. These two would have made a good class for Ole Miss alone on most years. They also recruited other top players and sold them on the idea that this could be the class to change the Rebel's fortune, instead of going to Alabama and continuing their championship tradition.

It was a perfect storm, but before we crown them Division Champs, know that other schools in the division have been doing this kind of work for five-plus years.To rise to the top it will take more than one class of stars to change the culture. Coach Hugh Freeze applied the full-court press to haul these guys in. SI.com writer Andy Staples reveals one of Freeze's assistant coaches exchanged more than 800 Facebook messages with Tunsil and another 400 with his girlfriend to help culture their relationship which turned into a commitment. Hard work paid off to bring this class (three 5-stars and 9 4-stars) to fruition.

TIE-DYE SCREAMS SWAG- There was nothing this year that compared to Isaiah Crowell pulling out a bulldog puppy to declare he would attend Georgia a couple of years ago. There was some impressive fashion from some commitment ceremonies though:

WR Stacey Coley (above) commits to Swag U. The only way this gets better is if a Vanderbilt or Stanford commit had donned a "Nerd" hat at their commitment ceremony.

DL Montravious Adams (above) commits to Auburn and proves tie-dye is alive and well. And yes, that is a picture of himself on his shirt. Love his humbleness.

ONE CONFERENCE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER- Not that long ago the Big 12 was being compared to the SEC. There were some who thought it might be able to challenge the SEC for dominance in college football. Hindsight is 20/20 and we know that thought is comical. Thanks to conference realignment (Texas A&M and Nebraska leaving), Texas and Oklahoma's steady decline, and now recruiting we know who stands above the other.

Not one 5-star prospect according to Rivals.com chose to play football in the Big 12, meaning the Big East, the conference just waiting its demise, had more top players commit to it than Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and the like. Kentucky--yeah that one--would have had the fourth-best class in the Big 12. These are signs your conference no longer has the gravitas it once did.

The SEC went out and collected seven of the top 11 spots in the team rankings, according to 247sports.com. Which means what former LSU receiver Russel Sheppard tweeted may be all the more true:

From the looks of the recruiting classes the #SEC will win the next 4 National championships again !!!!
— Russell Shepard Jr.. (@LSUShep10) February 6, 2013

Clemson RB coach Tony Elliot

Speaking of other conferences, Clemson does some serious recruiting, taking prospects from Florida and Georgia just like the big boys year in and year out.

Coach Dabo Swinney knows what he is doing in getting high schoolers interested in his program. Is running backs coach Tony Elliot the secret into their minds? Notice the Twilight posters surrounding him:

It was a great day, and one that started early for this college football fanatic. I made sure to go to bed early the night before and was up at 5:30 a.m., waiting for the first faxes to be sent.

Yes, they still use fax machines which is a whole other issue: The NCAA at its finest, only 20 years behind the curve.

Column from National Signing Day 2012

The Five SEC Players I Would (And Would Not) Hang Out With

I recently had a conversation with a college friend of mine of a college quarterback's, now thanks to the internet  infamous tattoo. It led to the idea for this post. Without further ado, here is the list of players in the SEC, given the opportunity, I would like or would not to hang out with in no particular order.

The "Woulds":

Even Nick Saban likes Barrett Jones

Barrett Jones, Alabama center- A 2011 unanimous All-America selection and Outland Trophy winner, Jones is not only a beast on the field at 6-foot-5, 311-pounds; but he also holds a 4.0 at Alabama, while working on his masters and preparing for the CPA exam. The over-sized nerd, once finished 15th in his age division at a Scrabble competition. Oh and he has played violin continuously since age three. 

Jordan Rodgers, Vanderbilt quarterback- The community college transfer followed began the 2011 season as the No. 2 quarterback on the Commodore depth chart before taking over the starting job and topping Jay Cutler's freshmen year in total yards gained. I would hang out with Jordan on the outside shot he would bring his brother Aaron along, Super Bowl MVP and champion for the Green Bay Packers.

Knile Davis, Arkansas running back and Tyler Wilson, Arkansas quarterback- I went with a combo here for the same reason no parent wants to choose their favorite child. Davis and Wilson are arguably the top players in the SEC at their respective positions. In addition, reports came out that the duo had conversations with former Razorback coach, and poor motorcycle-driving connoisseur, Bobby Petrino over the summer. Wouldn't you like to know exactly what was said?

T.J. Moe, Missouri wide receiver- In my last post, I wrote how Moe stole the show at SEC media days with his comments of how the SEC is better than the Big 12. Other than that,  I do not know much about the No. 1 wideout on the Tiger's depth chart. However, I do know if we were to hang out there is a strong possibility I would have more one-liners to add to my arsenal, which is enough to make the list.

Johnson, stud on and off the field.

A.J. Johnson, Tennessee linebacker- Would I be a fan of his had I not moved to Gainesville, Johnson's hometown two years ago? Probably not, but after doing so and hearing some of the local lore I would like to talk to this kid and get the his full story. I have watched him on some YouTube highlights, and the more I watch the more I wish I could have seen the then Red Elephant in person. Locals here say he is a great all-around person.

Honorable Mention-

Bacarri Rambo, Georgia safety- He was called Fudge before he changed his name in grade school. I would ask for the full story.

Barkevious Mingo, LSU defensive end- The name game again. What is its origin?

Kiero Small, Arkansas fullback- The 5-foot10, 255-pound Small is a willing block seeker in the second and third level. He broke more than ten opponent's helmets and at least eight of his own in 2011.


The "Would Nots":

Tyrann Mathieu, LSU cornerback- If an explanation is necessary, just Google is name. The Honey Badger is a good ball player but has a number of character issues.

Da'Rick Rogers, Tennesee wide receiver- Yet another prima donna wide receiver, who tweets about hanging out with high school kids in hot tubs when he goes home to Calhoun, Georgia. Rogers is talented receiver who used his five-star ranking to shortchange Georgia. He switched his commitment in the last hour to the Volunteers by finagling a scholarship for his high school quarterback. A season later, he publicly announced that he was going to transfer to Georgia State after a disappointing season. These plans never worked out, and now he is still giving his all -- if that possible -- for Tennessee today.

Hard to believe the guy on the right has the art on the right inked on his chest.

A.J. McCarron, Alabama quarterback- Though he is not the reason this blog was created, he comes in a close second because of his tattoo. When one decides to go through with a terrible permanent marking on their body, they prove to me of their poor decision-making skills, which would make hanging out with him not so fun. McCarron's tattoo does just that (and he strives to be just like John Parker Wilson, Bama Bangs and all).

Brad Wing, LSU punter- Football players do not generally respect the masters of special teams (kickers and punters). Sure it was a good play, and another gutsy call by LSU coach Les Miles, but taunting the opposing team after scoring your only career touchdown (which was called back) as a punter is a quick way to find yourself on this list. Cocky punters? Nah.

Bray needs no nameplate on his jersey. He
already has a permanent one on his back.

Tyler Bray, Tennessee quarterback- The Volunteer signal caller is the proud owner of the star tattoo which brought this whole post to life. Since telling the press at SEC Media Days how proud he is of his star back-branding, Bray has thrown a temper tantrum after allegedly being told he would be evicted from his apartment complex. With his cannon-like right arm, he threw beer bottles and golf balls at a neighbor's car. Although he apologized and is paying for the damages, I am not up for a night of taking out anger through vandalism of private property.

Dishonorable Mention- 

Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn tight end- He added to the myth that white men can't dance with The Lutzie against Alabama in 2010.

Thoughts and opinions of my list? Or others you would want to add? Comment below.

SEC East Power Rankings

The East is, dare I say, a "more open competition" than the West. If the ball bounces the right way the top four teams could come away with playing in Atlanta on the first weekend in December.

6.  Vanderbilt- New head coach James Franklin has his work cut out if he wants Vanderbilt not to finish as the last team in the East, which they have not done since 2008. The Commodores have five SEC wins over the past three years. Their mobile QB Larry Smith is rather... sporadic, but has shown glimpses of being capable. The defense has All-SEC talent in CB Casey Hayward, who had six picks a year ago, and LB Chris Marve, the SEC's active leading tackler. The problem is the defense is always on the field because of an inept offense. Franklin has excited the fan base with some unexpected wins in the recruiting game during the offseason though.

Look for another tough year in Nashville for the 'Dores.

5.  Kentucky- "At least there's always Vandy!" This should be the motto of the realistic Wildcat fan. After losing their Mr. Everything, Randal Cobb, to the NFL, their leading rusher and starting QB, the question is how will Kentucky move the ball down the field? LB Danny Travathan, the SEC's leading tackler, is back to lead the Wildcat defense.

Kentucky snapped its school-record five consecutive bowl game streak last season, finished with a losing record, and lost everyone who was anyone on offense. Doesn't basketball start soon?

4. Tennessee- Though they played against teams with losing records, QB Tyler Bray was inserted into the starting role and the offense averaged 33.5 points per game the second half of the season. This season a new receiving corps will have pressure to help Bray. Defensively, coordinator Justin Wilcox will be in his second season and there should be improvement.
Road trips to Alabama and Arkansas and hosting South Carolina and LSU make improving their 6-7 record from a year ago tough, but the Vols will be a better team with a chance to reek some havoc.

3. Florida- Welcome back to the SEC Will Muschamp. Muschamp did well in hiring coordinators. Already a defensive mastermind, he lured Charlie Weis away from the NFL and back to the college game. Weis, who did not have what it takes to be the head coach at Notre Dame, will try and salvage senior QB John Brantley's career in a pro-style offense. The defense is, as is most of the team, is talented but young and inexperienced.
Expect improvement from last season to now, but watch growing pains with  a new coach. The Gators will not stay down long so the rest of the SEC East should enjoy this break.

2. Georgia- Biggest storyline for the 2011 season is how hot Mark Richt's seat is. The Bulldogs start the season with the toughest two first games of any team in the BCS Division with games against Boise State in Atlanta and hosting defending SEC East champion South Carolina. Offensively, Georgia welcomes back the most talented returning quarterback in Aaron Murray. Much will hinge on the running game where the two leading rushers have left the program and the pressure rests on freshman Isaiah Crowell, the number one running back in high school a year ago. This is the second season for the 3-4 defense and the Bulldogs have two legitimate nosegaurds, the position which makes the this defense effective. 

Don't be surprised if Georgia does drop its first two games and still comes away with ten wins.

1. South Carolina- The defending division champs have retained the pieces that led them to the SEC Championship game a year ago. The Gamecocks have freshman phenom RB Marcus Lattimore again, but this year expect to see more of him catching the ball out of the backfield. Getting him the ball will be QB Stephen Garcia (if he can stay away from the bottle). Garcia also has arguably the best receiver in the league in Alshon Jeffery. The defense has added to last years squad in the form of DE Jadaveon Clowney, who by all accounts will be on the field early.
Coach Steve Spurrier has not lost it like many thought he may have. The Ole Ball Coach just needed some playmakers which he has an abundance of now that will make the Gamecocks serious title contenders.