It's the college football off-season and March Madness is just kicking up as the NCAA basketball tournament is about to get bouncing. Imagine how cool it would be to have a six, eight or twelve team football tournament to look forward to in December and January. Last week we took a look at some of the top news of the week involving Tommy Tuberville, Dillion Baxter, the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Temple Owls. Let's take a look at what happened this week..
Eddie Lacy Will Miss Spring
The front-runner to replace Trent Richardson as the next tailback at Alabama will miss the spring. Eddie Lacy had surgery to repair a turf toe issue that he dealt with last season. This could open the door for some of the young talent that the Tide has at the running back position. True Frosh T.J. Yeldon will hit campus this fall and he will be one to watch. Another guy to watch is dynamo Dee Hart. Hart is a red-shirt freshman who was turning heads before he injured himself last season. Keep an eye on those two guys in relation to the Tide's RB position in 2012.
Female Football Player to Make Mark in SEC?
A member of the LSU soccer team is going to try out for the football team this year. No biggie. That happens all the time. A guy I went to high school with went from playing soccer to kicking for the HS team and turned that into a college scholarship at a major B1G University and then had a cup of coffee in the NFL. The interesting part of this story is that the player in question is from the LSU women's soccer team. Mo "Meaux" Isim has been thinking about this for a while and looks like she'll give it a shot. There isn't much of a chance seeing her as a starter as LSU returns Drew Alleman but it would definitely be interesting if she earns a spot on the team and sees time on the field even if it's in mop-up duty.
Chris Marve to Practice Law
It feels like this is an All-SEC edition of "This Week In College Football." Marve was a pretty damn good football player even if he was trapped in the pit of despair known as Vanderbilt. Marve is moving on from the game of football and taking steps to make a name for himself in the field of Law. Kudos to him for using his head for something that doesn't lead to fines at the next level.
Tyrann Mathieu Turning Pro?
It's a little early to start look towards the 2013 NFL Draft but it looks like that's what the Honey Badger is doing. Mathieu is not a typical pro prospect when you look at his physical attributes, but when you watch him on the field he could definitely contribute in multiple facets of the game. Mathieu is definitely a pro prospect but I wonder how "all in" he's going to be with the team this year if his head is already thinking NFL Draft.
Prime Time Jr Not Ready for Prime Time
Instead of going to college this year, Deion Sanders Jr will be enrolling at a prep school outside of Atlanta. Sanders had an opportunity to sign a scholarship with Houston and/or North Texas but will instead be going the prep route. Sanders played QB as a junior but made the flip to the defensive side of the ball as a senior. He's looking to get a better look from some of the bigger programs this season. Only time will tell if this is the right decision.
Jim Mora Gives Parents a Hand to the Face
Good ol' Jim Mora. As an Atlanta Falcons fan, I know Jim as a guy who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. UCLA got a piece of that this past week. The UCLA Pro Day was closed to parents as they were not allowed to watch their kids workouts. I don't see a real problem with that, but the issue is that nobody told the parents before hand. They made the trek and were already at the event when they were told that they would not allowed to watch. Sounds like the Jim we know and don't love is started to show his face. Lucky for UCLA, college might actually be a perfect fit for Mora. He can lie to kids for four years before they realize he's full of crap and by that time their eligibility is up.
No Spring Game For TCU
Which school has had a worse off-season than TCU? Anybody care to raise their hands? It was announced this past week that in addition to the drug issues they've had on the football team, now TCU won't be having a Spring Game. Seems like things aren't exactly breaking Gary Patterson's way as TCU gears up for it's first season with the big boys in the Big 12. This will be an interesting storyline to watch unfold this season.