Cook quarterbacks Spartans through spring game scare

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With the projected starter at quarterback, Andrew Maxwell, sidelined due to injury for Michigan State’s spring game, all eyes were on backup Connor Cook and whether he could chip into the presumptive frontrunner’s lead coming out of the spring.

It was another player, however, who was front and center in the headlines, albeit for a hold-your-breath reason.

William Gholston (pictured), the Spartans’ talented but “feisty” defensive lineman, threw a scare into MSU’s coaching staff and fans after limping off the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return.  Those anxious moments aside, it appears the initial prognosis is very positive; the Big Ten Network reported that it was merely a bruised right knee.

As of this posting, there was no official word from the team on the extent or severity of Gholston’s injury.

Prior to his injury, Gholston was credited with two tackles for a loss.  All told, there were 14 tackles for loss and four sacks in the game for both defenses.  One of Gholston’s tackles for loss resulted in a safety, which were the only points the Green team scored in a 14-2 “loss” to the White squad.

As for Cook?  He put up solid numbers with 294 yards passing and a touchdown, but offset that somewhat by completing less than 50 percent of his passes (20-of-45) and an interception.  Based solely on the statistical numbers in a meaningless exhibition game, it’s hard to believe that anyone but Maxwell will head into summer camp with a decided edge at the position.

Regardless of whether Cook chipped into Maxwell’s “lead” or not — and the coaches weren’t saying yea or nay on that front — the experience the redshirt freshman received both in the game and in the practice sessions leading up to the spring finale was unanimously viewed as very much a positive.

“What is great about the game is that it allowed someone like Connor (Cook) to see a lot of action,” wide receivers coach and White team head coach Terrence Samuel said in quotes distributed by the team. ”He was able to jump on both sides and each team had their tricks. The last week has been invaluable to him because he has been able to work on processing the offense. It has been really nice to see his decision making. He has great command of the huddle. I think our players realize that too and respect him for it. Today was also important for Connor to get a feel for a real game in Spartan Stadium.”

AP

Shortly before National Signing Day this past February, it was reported that Marquise Williams was no longer enrolled at North Carolina. A couple of months later? That’s no longer the case.

UNC confirmed Friday that the quarterback is again enrolled at the school and is attending classes.  Academics prevented Williams from enrolling for the spring semester, which kept the player from participating in spring practice.

Last season, the former four-star recruit served as the primary backup to starter Bryn Renner, who returns to the Tar Heels this fall for his senior season.

Mitch Trubisky exited spring as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart as a true freshman.  Trubisky was an early enrollee after signing on as a member of the Tar Heels’ 2013 recruiting class.

As a redshirt freshman last season, Williams accounted for 127 yards passing and 186 yards rushing.  He scored four total touchdowns.

AP

Two months after being slapped with a suspension, Darius Millines, along with a teammate, has seen his career at Illinois come to an untimely end.

An Illini official confirmed to the Associated Press that Millines and defensive end Darrius Caldwell have been dismissed from the football program.  As expected, the only reason given was an unspecified violation of team rules.

The school has yet to offer up any public comments on what led to head coach Tim Beckman‘s decision to dismiss the duo.

In early March, the wide receiver was indefinitely suspended for the same set of reasons.  As a junior last season, Millines was second on the team with 319 receiving yards on 32 catches.

Caldwell played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman last season, credited with 17 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

AP

We don’t yet know to where Wes Lunt will transfer, but we do know where it won’t be.  Reportedly.

According to Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com, Oklahoma State is restricting the quarterback from transferring to Southern Miss as well as any SEC school.  Such restrictions would severely limit desirable destinations for Lunt as he had been considering five schools; three of them — Southern Miss, Tennessee and Vanderbilt — are now off-limits because of his former school in general and his ex-coach specifically.

Still on Lunt’s radar are Illinois and Louisville.  Lunt either has or will in very short order visit the Illini, who are currently considered the front-runners by default.

A school spokesperson confirmed the head-scratching restrictions to Fowler, and stated it was between OSU head coach Mike Gundy and Lunt when asked why the player would not be released to that set of schools.  It’s unclear why Gundy — ya know, the “I’m a man, I’m 40″ rant guy when it came to defending one his players from the sharp barbs of the mean ol’ media — placed such restrictions on Lunt.

The Southern Miss football program is now headed by Todd Monken, who served as Gundy’s offensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012; the Cowboys and Golden Eagles are not slated to face each other during the regular season at any point over the next nine years.  After sitting out the 2013 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, Lunt will have three years of eligibility remaining; the only SEC school Oklahoma State will face in the regular season during that four-year timeframe is Mississippi State in 2013.

Ironically, Gundy spoke to at least two different schools this offseason about their head coaching vacancies, and would’ve been free to move to those programs without restriction.  The two schools he’s known to have spoken with about their openings?  Arkansas and Tennessee, both members of the SEC.

Excellent work, Coach Gundy.  You and your university and T. Boone should be very proud of the pettiness and double-standards on full display.  Stay classy, Stillwater.

UPDATED 6:26 p.m. ET: According to Zach Kerker, sports director at 1450 in Springfield, Ill., Lunt’s high school coach stated that his former player is also restricted from transferring to Pac-12 schools as well as Central Michigan (on OSU’s non-conference schedule in 2015 & 2016).  The reason behind the restrictions?  ”They could play in bowl games,” the coach said.

Pitiful.  Absolutely pitiful situation.

While uncertainty still abound when it comes to one high-profile member of Florida State’s 2013 recruiting class, another has seen his status clarified in a positive way by an arm of the NCAA.

FSU announced Friday that defensive end DeMarcus Walker has been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse following months of uncertainty.  Walker was an early enrollee at FSU but did not participate in spring practice due to the Clearinghouse issue.

Reportedly, the issue stemmed from an online course he had taken in high school.

“Nole Nation I just got the best news ever I’m cleared academically now,” Walker wrote in a tweet posted to his Twitter account. “I swear ever(y) school on the schedule is in trouble now. #FEAR THE SPEAR.”

Walker was a four-star member of FSU’s recruiting class this year, rated as the No. 5 strongside defensive end in the country and the No. 11 player at any position in the state of Florida.  He was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 57 player in the country.

In part because of attrition and in part because of his talent, Walker is expected to contribute immediately to the Seminoles’ line rotation.

AP

Thanks in large part to it being a (very) low point in the offseason college football news cycle, another blast directed at Nick Saban has dominated the headlines over the past couple of days.

The Alabama head coach was referred to as “the devil himself” as well as accused of lacking a personality by Florida assistant Tim Davis at a booster function.  What differentiates this from Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin‘s “Nicky Satan” blast earlier this year is the fact that Saban and Davis had a previous working relationship, leading the former to label the latter’s comments as “terribly disappointing” and seemingly being left hurt by the jabs.

During an appearance via the telephone on the Dan Patrick Show Friday, Saban addressed that topic as well as multiple other issues — including the acknowledgement that preparations for the rematch with Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M are already ongoing.  Check out the video below.

Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– al.com: While you’re going after Nick Saban, he’s going about his business.

– Speaking of Saban, have you ever wondered what the Alabama head coach would look like with Dana Holgorsen‘s hair?  If so, today’s your lucky day.

– Losing U.S. Open tennis could lead to CBS televising early-season SEC games.

– Charlie Weis likes the hope fans have in the Jayhawks, but doesn’t want their faith to be blind.

– Auburn’s defensive line going back to basics in order to shore up its run defense.

– Eric Weddle has become an unofficial ambassador for the Utah football program.

– Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer and ESPN sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards are engaged to be married.

– Former Ole Miss quarterback Tom Luke has returned to his alma mater as the football program’s assistant athletics director for player development.

– This Georgia Tech grad assistant’s attempt at recruiting via photoshopping is bad. “Not bad meaning good but bad meaning bad,” says Run DMC.

– Not football-related, but Ohio is the most swearingest f—–g state in America.  O-F’N-H!!!

– Not football-related either, but RIP Dick Trickle.  Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em…

AP

An early enrollee has decided to take an early leave of the West Virginia football program, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting.

Citing Chavas Rawlins‘ high school coach, the paper has confirmed that the quarterback will be transferring from the Mountaineers.  It appears as though the departure of WVU assistant Jake Spavital played a significant role in the player’s departure.

“Everyone at West Virginia was great to him, but as you know he came in right when Jake left,” Monessen (Penn.) high school coach Andy Pacak told the Post-Gazette. ”His initial decision was I’m gonna go down there and make the most of it, but that (loss of Spavital) weighed on him a little bit.”

Spavital, WVU’s quarterbacks coach the past two season, left in January for the same job at Texas A&M, plus the additional title of co-offensive coordinator.  Rawlins’ decision also comes a couple of weeks after Clint Trickett transferred in from Florida State and entered the Mountaineers’ quarterback fray.

Rawlins, a three-star member of WVU’s 2013 recruiting class and the only QB signed this year by the Mountaineers, participated in spring practice as an early signee but did not play in the spring game as all of the reps went to Paul Millard and Ford Childress.

“Chavas has been getting reps in practice and slowly we’ve been moving him along, but obviously he’s got a long ways to go,” said head coach Dana Holgorsen after the spring game.

If Rawlins transfers to another FBS school — there’s no early indication as to which direction he might be headed — he would have to sit out the 2013 season but would retain all of his eligibility.

You know what this means, right?  Yep, we’re slowly inching closer to the start of a new season.

While that remains a little under four months away, one major postseason award has released its first watch list of the offseason, with the Lott IMPACT Trophy releasing its group of 42 players on the defensive side of the ball.  No finalists or semifinalists for last year’s award, won by Notre Dame Manti Te’o, are represented on this year’s watch list.

A total of seven conferences — the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt Conference being the lone exceptions — and three independents — Army, BYU and Notre Dame — are represented this year, including a total of 37 different football programs.

Of the seven schools with two players on the list, three come from the Pac-12: Stanford (DL Henry Anderson, S Ed Reynolds), UCLA (LB Anthony Barr, LB Eric Kendricks) and Washington (DT Danny Shelton, LB John Timu).  Baylor (S Ahmad Dixon, LB Bryce Hager), Northwestern (DB Ibraheim Campbell, LB Damien Proby), Ohio State (CB Bradley Roby, LB Ryan Shazier) and Virginia Tech (CB Antone Exum, LB Jack Tyler).

The Pac-12 led all conferences with 11 players on the list, followed by the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 with seven apiece.  Players from the SEC and Mountain West (two) were also part of the initial grouping.

The Lott Trophy is named in honor of former USC and San Francisco 49ers great Ronnie Lott, and is given out to the player who has the biggest IMPACT — Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity – on their teams both on and off the field.

For the complete Lott Trophy watch list, see below:

Henry Anderson, DL, Stanford
Geoffrey Bacon, LB, Army
Calvin Barnett, DL, Oklahoma State
Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
Nat Behre, DB, San Diego State
Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
Max Bullough, LB, Michigan State
Ibraheim Campbell, DB, Northwestern
Ross Cockrell, CB, Duke
Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma
Scott Crichton, DL, Oregon State
Alden Darby, DB, Arizona State
Aaron Donald, DL, Pitt
Steele DiVitto, LB, Boston College
Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
Antone Exum, CB, Virginia Tech
Jake Fischer, LB, Arizona
Chase Garnham, LB, Vanderbilt
Bryce Hager, LB, Baylor
Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
A.J. Johnson, LB, Tennessee
Lamarcus Joyner, S/CB, Florida State
Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
Devon Kennard, DL, USC
James Morris, LB, Iowa
C.J. Moseley, LB, Alabama
Damien Proby, LB, Northwestern
Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford
Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
D.T. Shackleford, LB, Ole Miss
Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Spencer Shuey, LB, Clemson
Derron Smith, DB, Fresno State
John Timu, LB, Washington
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame
Jack Tyler, LB, Virginia Tech
Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU
Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
Avery Williamson, LB, Kentucky
Ty Zimmerman, S, Kansas State

AP

Brace yourself: what you’re about to see is some (gasp!) feelings and a hint of emotion coming from future college football Hall of Famer and current cyborg Nick Saban.

Earlier in the week, Florida assistant Tim Davis was quoted at a booster function as referring to the Alabama head coach as “the devil himself.”  That was the second time this offseason that the Prince of Darkness has been brought up in reference to Saban, with Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin referring to the four-time BCS-title-winning coach as “Nicky Satan” in January.

This time, though, it was a little personal for Saban as Davis was a member of his Miami Dolphins staff for two years and spent another year on his Tide staff.  That familiarity led to some unexpected — and refreshing — honesty on the part of the coach prior to a Crimson Caravan event Thursday.

“It really is a little terribly disappointing,” Saban said according to al.com. “I try to do right by the people that work for me,” he said. “It’s a tough, demanding job. And at the same time, if anybody had an issue or problem with me, I would want them to just tell me. …

“It’s just disappointing. If somebody has a problem with me, I’d appreciate it if they’d tell me. If I’m doing something to offend somebody, I’d certainly like to do whatever I have to do to fix it. It’s not our intention. It’s not what we try to do.

“We’re in a tough business. It’s very competitive. Sometimes you’ve got to demand that people do things that maybe they don’t want to do, but it’s not personal.”

Also included in Davis’ standup routine — which Saban apparently took to heart way more than we had assumed he would — the Gator offensive line coach took a jab at Saban’s personality, or lack thereof, in propping up his current boss Will Muschamp.

“[Muschamp's] like [Saban], only he’s got a personality,” the Gator assistant said. “He’ll smile at you. He’ll talk to you. You understand?”

Muschamp also worked under Saban for five years, four at LSU and one with the Dolphins, and the two have a level of respect for the other that goes beyond the football field.  It’s that respect that left Saban seemingly biting his tongue when it came to Davis’ personality shot.

“I know it’s not representative of Will Muschamp and the University of Florida and the way they do things,” he said. “I know that, because I’m close enough to Will to know that.”

What will be interesting to see is Muschamp’s response to one of his assistants taking digs at someone who is both a friend and conference competitor, albeit in a different division.  Even more interesting?  When the damn season gets here so this kind of stuff moves to the background.

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Just a handful of weeks following the end of spring practice, Virginia’s depth and experience at the running back position has taken an unexpected hit.

In a press release, Cavaliers head coach Mike London announced that Clifton Richardson has been granted a release from his scholarship and will leave the football program.  No specific reason for the departure was given, although it appears to be an amicable parting of ways.

“Clifton Richardson has been granted permission to seek a release from his scholarship to pursue opportunities elsewhere,” said London in a statement. “Clifton will be leaving the University in good academic standing. I wish the best for Clifton as he pursues his academic and athletic goals.”

The release stated that Richardson will have two years of eligibility remaining plus a redshirt season.

Richardson appeared in 20 games during his Cavaliers career, rushing for 425 yards and two touchdowns.  In seven games last season, Richardson ran for just 59 yards as he battled an injury to his lower extremities.

A four-star member of Virginia’s 2011 recruiting class, Richardson was rated as the No. 20 RB in the country and the No. 6 player at any position in the state of Virginia.

Meandering our way through the offseason, a single one-liner at a time…

– Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith supports the idea of playing the Big Ten championship game in Detroit when the contract with Indianapolis runs out in three years.

– Newark Star Ledger: New athletic director Julie Hermann needs to prove she can be a visionary for Rutgers.

– While an agreement in principle has been reached to renew the Memphis-Tennessee hoops rivalry, a continuation of the football series remains up in the air.

– Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium North end zone project involves Homeland Security issue.

– Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench tells the Tampa Bay Times his visit to USF left him impressed.

– At least for now, former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain is looking forward to bringing his Colorado State team to Bryant-Denny Stadium this fall.

– Having an East Coast recruiting presence is being embraced by Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi.

– Four Utes looking to replace the production in the running game lost with the departure of John White.

– Safety Ebo Makinde posted the fasted 40-yard dash time (4.24) at Boise State’s spring testing day.

– Speaking of Boise State, Bronco Stadium will be getting a new 60-foot-by-33-foot video board to replace the one installed in 2001.

– Class of 2014 Kentucky football recruits banding together on Twitter.

With two new members coming on board in 2014, and with a nine-game conference slate looming on down the road, the Big Ten has released its league schedule for the first season under a new divisional format.

Highlighting the eight-game schedule, of course, is Maryland and Rutgers entering the conference rotation.

Both the Terps and Scarlet Knights will play their East Division opponents (Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State) as well as each other, plus two cross-division games.  The former will face West Division foes Iowa at home and Wisconsin on the road, while the latter travels to Nebraska and hosts Wisconsin.

The two new members will close out the 2014 season against one another Nov. 29 in College Park.

Rutgers will be the first of the two new members to open conference play, hosting Penn State Sept. 13 in the lone Big Ten contest that weekend.  Maryland’s inaugural Big Ten game will take place two weeks later at Indiana.

From the Big Ten’s release:

From Sept. 27 to Nov. 29, the 2014 Big Ten schedule will feature 10 consecutive weeks of Big Ten competition, boasting at least five conference games each week. All 14 teams will be in action during the final two weeks of Big Ten play, including six division games each week.

Beginning in 2016, the Big Ten will move to the nine-game conference schedule, with each team playing their six division foes plus three cross-division games.  One of those cross-division games will be an annual protected matchup.

The Big Ten championship game will be held Dec. 6 in Indianapolis.

Below is the complete 2014 Big Ten conference schedule:

A week after leaving Tennessee, it appears Daniel Gray has found a new football home.

By way of Evan Woodbery of the Knoxville News Sentinel, the defensive back proclaimed via Facebook that he will be transferring to Utah State.  There has yet to be any kind of confirmation from the Aggies on Gray’s addition to the program.

It appears that one of the more significant factors behind Gray’s decision to head to USU is the presence of two former high school teammates on the roster.

“For the next 3 years I will be taking my talents to the university of Utah state,” Gray wrote on the social media website, even as he didn’t quite nail the technical name of his new school. “God is good and I’m very thankful for him. Never through [sic] I would be playing college ball with my best friend JoJo Natson. Lauderdale better believe ima put on for my city. #NFL2016 draft here I come.”

Because of NCAA transfer rules, Gray will likely have to sit out the 2013 season.

Gray played in eight games as a true freshman last season, starting one of those contests.  He was a three-star member of the Vols’ 2012 recruiting class coming out of high school in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.

AP

Hell yeah they are!

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay has reversed field from a previous decision and all men’s athletic teams will be renamed the Rainbow Warriors. This decision comes just months after Jay decided all men’s sports would simply be named the Warriors. From 2000 to 2012, some teams were named the Warriors and others the Rainbow Warriors. This occurred after former UH football coach June Jones requested the football team be known strictly as the Warriors. Prior to 2000, the football team was known as the Rainbow Warriors.

Jay said continuity and a push to re-add the “Rainbow” portion of the name were the reasons behind the decision

“The decision on February 13 to change the nickname of the men’s teams to Warriors has generated a lot of discussion and we have received both positive and negative feedback,” Jay said. “We listened to the public discussion and we went back to the original two questions we asked ourselves – who are we and what is representative of the islands?

“We initially decided to adopt Warriors as the nickname of our men’s teams, since it was used by the majority of our men’s programs, including the one with the largest fan following (football). This is a very subjective and emotional issue and the only clear consensus on this topic over the last 13 years has been that a decision needed to be made to unify our men’s teams under one nickname. That goal will still be accomplished as we retain the Rainbow and Warriors names, both of which are near and dear to the hearts of our fans, whom we represent.”

Now, to update UH’s helmets and uniforms…

With the 2013 season less than four months away, Illinois has completed its out-of-league schedule for the following season.

The Illini announced Wednesday that the football program has added a pair of games to its 2014 non-conference.  The second week of that season, the Illini will square off with Western Kentucky (Sept. 6) and follow that up two weeks later with a game against Texas State (Sept. 20) that will mark the end of the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Both of those games will be played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

It had previously been announced that the Illini would host Southern Illinois in the season opener, then travel to Washington to play the Huskies in mid-September.

The games against the Hilltoppers and the Bobcats will be the first-ever meetings in football between the respective programs.  TSU, incidentally, will be playing in just its third season at the FBS level in 2014 after moving up from the FCS level in 2012.