Associated Press

In statement thanking SEC for Maurice Smith waiver, Kirby Smart says ‘we are all anxious to move forward’

By John TaylorAug 13, 2016, 9:32 AM EDT
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And for that, I think everyone involved would give a big ol’ “amen.”

Friday, the SEC announced that it had granted a conditional waiver to Maurice Smith that will allow him to transfer from Alabama to Georgia and play immediately in 2016.  The decision capped a tumultuous last few weeks, one in which ‘Bama steadfastly refused to grant the defensive back a release before finally relenting and leaving the decision in the hands of its conference.

The beneficiary of the conference’s decision, UGA head coach Kirby Smart, subsequently released a statement expressing thanks to the league for granting the waiver.

I want to express appreciation to Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey for granting the waiver which will allow Maurice Smith to pursue his dreams at the University of Georgia as a graduate transfer. This has been a difficult situation to navigate and we are grateful to all who have been involved in bringing it to a resolution. Now that it is behind us, we are all anxious to move forward.

Smart, of course, was the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator for the past eight seasons before moving back to his alma mater for his first head-coaching job, adding a juicy layer to the controversy.  Smart knows Smith extremely well, then, and knows he will be getting a player who can help his secondary immediately.

A four-star 2013 recruit, Smith was rated as the No. 9 corner in the country and the No. 84 prospect overall. All told, Smith played in 41 games for the Tide. He started a pair of those contests.

Exiting the spring, Smith was viewed as the Tide’s starting nickel corner.

Louisville to be without leading receiver vs. Kent State

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By John TaylorSep 23, 2017, 11:59 AM EDT
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The reigning Heisman Trophy winner won’t have his favorite target in the passing game as his ongoing attempt at back-to-back stiff-armed hardware continues.

Bobby Petrino announced Saturday morning that Jaylen Smith will not play in today’s game against Kent State, set for a noon ET kickoff.  The wide receiver is dealing with an injury to his left wrist; it’s unclear when he sustained the injury.

The Louisville Courier-Journal writes that “[m]ore information on Smith’s injury should be available after the game.”

This season, Smith is far and away the Cardinals’ leading receiver, totaling 22 catches for 379 yards through the first three games of the season.  Seth Dawkins is next with 11 receptions, while Dez Fitzpatrick‘s 211 yards are second on the team.

Last season, Smith led the Cards in averaging 22.2 yards per catch.  This season, he was at 17.2 ypc.

Buckeyes backup QB has pointed words on Ohio State’s $1.5 billion valuation

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By John TaylorSep 23, 2017, 11:22 AM EDT
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The archaic to some (most?) NCAA rules still won’t allow student-athletes to be compensated for the millions of dollars they make for the university nor do they allow them to profit off their likenesses or images — even as the universities do just that. One member of the Ohio State Buckeyes merely serves as the latest in a long line of players past and present to point out the hypocrisy of the current system.

Citing a study undertaken by Ryan Brewer, an associate professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the OSU football program is worth slightly north of $1.5 billion (with a “b”), making it the most valuable program in college football. Texas and Oklahoma were also part of the exclusive Billionaires Club.

Those financial numbers weren’t lost at all on Joe Burrow, a backup quarterback for the Buckeyes who took to social media to point out the how the current rules are severely tilted away from the student-athletes.

After getting some blowback from the “you’re on scholarship, you’re lucky you get an education for free, you whining, sniveling millennial” crowd, Burrow signed off for the night with another shot at the current system.

Somewhere, 2012 Cardale Jones applauds that latter effort. Also somewhere else, modern-day Jones no doubt applauds Burrow pointing out the NCAA’s ongoing exploitation of collegiate athletes.

17-year-old gets start at QB for Old Dominion vs. Virginia Tech… in Blacksburg

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By John TaylorSep 23, 2017, 9:44 AM EDT
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Talk about being thrown straight into the fire. At least it’s not “Enter Sandman” at night, though, right?

Regardless, Old Dominion will travel to Blacksburg for an afternoon game at Lane Stadium in Week 4 later on today. Thanks to first-half struggles in ODU’s Week 3 loss to North Carolina, Bobby Wilder inserted Steven Williams at quarterback in the second half and he performed admirably in his first collegiate action — 139 yards passing, two passing touchdowns in two quarters of relief work.

Williams, it was confirmed earlier this week, will remain under center this weekend against Tech and will be tackling his first career start against the Bud Foster-led Hokies defense. The true freshman, though, is no ordinary first-time starter as he is just 17 years, 11 months (almost) old.

Based on our research, the 6-4, 196-pound Williams would become just the fourth FBS player in the last four-plus decades to start at quarterback before the age of 18. The others are Khalil Tate (Arizona, 2016), Nick Isham (Arizona, 2012) and David Walker (Texas A&M, 1973).

It’s believed that Walker, at 17 years, nine months, is the youngest ever to start at quarterback at the highest level of college football.

Despite his youth, Williams, a two-star 2017 signee, has the confidence of both his head coach and teammates.

“At 17 years old, he has to become the defined leader of this organization,” Wilder said according to the Virginian-Pilot. “I personally think he has the ability to do it. … He’s very dynamic. There’s a lot of things he does well.”

“I’ve been thinking about it over the past week, and I can’t imagine myself as a starting quarterback at 17,” redshirt junior wide receiver Travis Fulgham said. “But I think he can do it. That’s what’s crazy about it.”

Wyoming QB Josh Allen deleted Twitter off his phone following loss to Oregon

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By Bryan FischerSep 22, 2017, 7:39 PM EDT
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Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen was one of the most heavily discussed signal-callers in the country this offseason and labeled by many as a potential No. 1 overall draft pick. Some thought he has the physical tools to transition effortlessly from the Mountain West to the NFL just like Carson Wentz.

By late September though, people are starting to hit the brakes on the hype train for the Cowboys QB and so, too, is the player himself it appears. The Associated Press published a long profile of Allen this week and one nugget seemed to jump out: following a 49-13 loss to Oregon last Saturday in which he completed just nine passes for 64 yards and an interception, the quarterback promptly deleted Twitter of his phone.

“Those guys on Twitter aren’t making draft picks and putting together teams in the NFL,” Allen said. “All I really care about is respect from my teammates and my coaches here.”

We’ve seen players delete apps or jump off social media when they face a little adversity on the field and it seems that the Wyoming star is the latest to join the bandwagon and swear off tweeting in the foreseeable future. We’ll see if it makes any difference on Saturday as his team takes on Hawaii at home to open Mountain West conference play.