Leonard Fournette isn’t guaranteed a starting spot with LSU

By Brent SobleskiAug 10, 2014, 7:55 PM EDT

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is supposed to be college football’s next big thing. Despite the hype that comes along with being the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation, Fournette isn’t even guaranteed to start for the Tigers this season.

Seniors Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee aren’t simply going to hand Fournette the starting spot. And the two veterans are making it hard on LSU’s coaching staff.

The assumption is Fournette will be the opening-day starter at running back, but the decision has yet to be made.

“I don’t know that right now,” LSU running backs coach Frank Wilson said in an radio interview on ESPN 104.5 in Baton Rouge. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”

LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron doesn’t seem to have a preference which back eventually becomes the team’s starter. Cameron is happy with the depth he has at the position.

“This is how Cam calls it. He says, ‘We have our first starter, our second starter, our third starter, and our fourth starter. Just rotate them in.’”

Last season, Magee and Hilliard combine to rush for 936 yards, despite playing behind the ultra-productive Jeremy Hill.

It may actually take some time before Fournette earns the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates.

“He’s a freshman tailback for us who we see as a freshman tailback for us,” Wilson said. “He can’t control the media hype. He’s extremely humble and works extremely hard.”

Once Fournette gets on the field, he’s expected to make a major impact. LSU will benefit from the most talented stable of running backs in college football, whether Fournette becomes the starter or not.

(Hat tip: CoachingSearch.com)

College Football Hall of Fame adds title sponsor

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By Zach BarnettMay 26, 2018, 5:19 PM EDT

Report: Cannabis oil not the reason C.J. Harris denied walk-on opportunity at Auburn

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By Zach BarnettMay 26, 2018, 3:52 PM EDT

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A major brouhaha broke out on social media last last week when it was reported that C.J. Harris was denied by the NCAA an opportunity to walk-on at Auburn because of his prescription for cannabis oil, which he uses to prevent epileptic seizures. Harris claims to be seizure free since January 2017 thanks to the medication.

“After Auburn coaches and staff took a second look at his medical records, they told Harris’ father Curtis that his son could not compete in NCAA athletics while he was taking cannabis oil,” reported WGXA-TV, which broke the story.

“You’re taking something away from a kid who’s worked so hard in his life to get there,” Curtis Harris, the player’s father, said. “And you’re just taking it away because he’s taking a medication that’s helping with his disability.”

But according to Brandon Marcello of Auburn Undercover, the story is more complicated than that. A source told Marcello that it was Auburn’s doctors, and not NCAA rules, that will prevent Harris from suiting up for the Tigers. Writes Marcello:

Auburn’s team physician did not clear Harris due to the pre-existing medical conditions, a source close to the Auburn football program said. The Auburn medical staff was concerned about the epilepsy and wanted to protect his well being in a full-contact sport that could lead to head trauma, the source said.

That information will not stop people from ripping on the NCAA, however, largely because it’s fun to rip on the NCAA.

But the Harris situation is a flashpoint in a larger cultural issue. Public opinion on marijuana is changing — 61 percent of Americans believe it should be legal, according to a Pew Research poll in January, an increase from 57 percent in 2017 and a massive leap from the 31 percent who thought the same in 2000 — and cannabis is already legal for purchase on a medical basis in 29 states. And the opinion of Auburn’s doctors doesn’t change the fact Harris would still be ineligible under current NCAA rules.

However, the NCAA’s Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports has discussed “medical marijuana and CBD products at recent meetings” and will do so again at its next gathering in June, according to SB Nation. The Harris situation — and the subsequent public reaction — should be a a topic of conversation.

Two Illinois players charged with theft for relocating deer sculpture

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By Zach BarnettMay 26, 2018, 12:43 PM EDT

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A pair of Illinois players have been charged with theft between $500 and $10,000 after taking a sculpture from a Champaign park and relocating it to the top of their apartment building.

Jimmy Marchese, a junior linebacker, and Drew Murtaugh, a sophomore linebacker, told police they were walking home on the night of April 29 and saw a sculpture of a running deer, titled “Startled,” lying on the ground and took it home, placing the sculpture on the roof of their apartment. The Champaign Park District pleaded for the sculpture’s return on Facebook, and an anonymous tip led the authorities to Marchese and Murtaugh.

“Startled” has since been reinstalled at Champaign’s Scott Park, where the $5,000 sculpture will require touch-up work by the artist who created it.

“We had to have the artist come and do some work on it. We think we got it worked out to where it would be a lot harder for anyone to take it out again,” Champaign Park District director Joe DeLuce told the Champaign News Gazette.

The Illini pair has already appeared in court for a probable-cause hearing, and are due back on June 12. They face penalties ranging from probation to five years in prison.

Illinois spokesman Kent Brown told the News Gazette that head coach Lovie Smith is aware of the incident but has taken no action.

Marchese, a native of Vernon Hills, Ill., played in all 12 games in 2017 with two starts, and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team. Murtaugh, hailing from Crystal Lake, Ill., did not letter as a redshirt freshman in 2017, but joined his partner in petty crime as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Georgia DB Tray Bishop arrested on felony charge for alleged recording of sexual act

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By Kevin McGuireMay 25, 2018, 6:57 PM EDT

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Georgia freshman defensive back Detravion “Tray” Bishop was arrested on Wednesday on charges of felony eavesdropping/surveillance. The charges stem from an incident from this past fall, according to a report from Chip Towers of DawgNation.com. Bishop, who promptly turned himself over to the authorities after a warrant for his arrest was issued, has already been released from a county jail on a $5,700 bond.

The arrest follows an investigation by University of Georgia police responded to a complaint filed by a woman in April. The woman claimed Bishop recorded a sexual act between the two without her consent back in November.

“The complainant wished to report that there was a student going around showing people a sex tape of her … without her consent,” the police report said, according to the DawgNation report. “… A subsequent investigation into this incident led us into determining that the crime of unlawful eavesdropping occurred on [Nov. 5]. The investigation showed that Detravion Bishop had recorded [victim’s name] inside his dorm room without her permission and without her knowledge.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has responded to the situation, expressing concern over the circumstances Bishop is caught up in.

“We are investigating the matter and it’s important that we gather all information relevant to the situation before we determine what policies may come into play,” Smart said in his statement. “Then we can take appropriate action if necessary.”

Bishop was a three-star recruit in Georgia’s Class of 2017, according to his Rivals profile. Bishop red-shirted last season.

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