Friday Links: Could Russell Wilson Land At South Carolina?

Russell Wilson has become a hot name on message boards across the land as college football fans from the southeast to the mid-west try to figure out where this former N.C. State quarterback will land next season.

Wilson did big things for the Wolfpack in 2010, nearly leading them to an ACC Championship before falling short in the final week, but his need to be a two-sport man has tired head coach Tom O'Brien and forced him to go in a different direction for the betterment of his team—not sure how you get much better than Russell Wilson (308/526 for 3,546 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. 144 carries for 422 yards and 9 touchdowns*) but whatevs—so Wilson is saddled with the decision of where he will play next year.

Since he has already completed his coursework at N.C. State, he is free to transfer—according to NCAA transfer rules—to any school he pleases so long as he enrolls as their graduate program offers studies in something N.C. State does not (see Jeremiah Masoli).

So, now, every SEC team in need of a veteran quarterback, with the skill-set of Wilson, is chomping at the bit to see if they can be the chosen one. Auburn has been a hot name in the fray, as has Ole Miss, but Olin Buchanan (senior writer for Rivals.com) seems to feel that South Carolina is the best fit for Wilson given "proximity and opportunity". 

It does make sense to place Wilson as a Gamecock given how much talent they return and Spurrier's current quarterback troubles, but if South Carolina is where he wants to be (keep in mind Wilson is from Virginia), then he could just as easily land in Clemson. Better still, doesn't Penn State need a quarterback?

At this point no one knows where Wilson will land but it certainly is interesting to see a guy who no one gave two-cents about four-years ago, suddenly become one of the hottest commodities in college football—oh and did I mention he was a 2* prospect out of high school?

It just goes to show you, it's all about coaching and development. 

2. A deaf college football fan is suing the University of Kentucky for not offering closed-captioning on their scoreboard.

3. Brad Nessler used his noggin and left E$PN for a network that actually knows something about football.

4. Russell Wilson to the Pac-10?

5. Gus Malzahn explains why Cam Newton will be a success at the pro level—that sure would make Gus look like a genius if he did, wouldn't it?

6. Big Ten Commisioner, Jim Delany, isn't worried about Nebraska fitting into the conference come July 1.

7. I guess Boise State isn't used to cheating.

8. Some intellectuals at the University of Massachusetts are a bit peeved about a plan to move football into Division I FCS—one called the move a "profoundly stupid" idea.

9. New Florida coach, Will Muschamp, is making big money to make big things happen in Gainesville.

10. Knowshon Moreno could see a lot more touches this season.

Related articles

• Stunner: Russell Wilson given release by N.C. State (collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com)
• Russell Wilson's potential dance partners (blutarsky.wordpress.com)
• '95-percent' certainty Russell Wilson plays in '11 (collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com)

*Stats offered courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Georgia Bulldogs: Former QB Prospect, Logan Gray, Will Transfer

Logan Gray will no longer play for the University of Georgia.

The former quarterback prospect who began the 2010 campaign as a possible candidate for the starting QB position, only to be moved to wide receiver/flanker once Aaron Murray was named, has decided to take his degree (which he will be awarded in May) and seek out another school at which to use his remaining eligibility (he has one year remaining).

According to DawgPost.com, Gray wants to play his final season at a school closer to his home of Columbia, MO so that his family can come to his games.

I'll admit that I am uncertain if the same loophole that allowed Jeremiah Masoli to play at Ole Miss in 2010 will apply to Gray but, if it does, the NCAA waiver would come with the caveat that the University of Georgia doesn't offer an advanced degree in whatever field he hopes to obtain his Masters.

Would that open the door for him to play for the University of Missouri who, coincidentally, just lost their starting quarterback? Just an idea, nothing confirmed or heard about that possibility as it is just as likely that Gray could go the Division-II route.

Either way, you have to wish the kid nothing but the best. He gave his all at Georgia and it's too bad the coaching staff could never find a spot for him.

He finished last season with 105 receiving yards and things appeared to be looking up in 2011, especially with both A.J. Green and Kris Durham moving on, but his departure will leave Georgia even thinner at receiver, and will put a lot more pressure on guys like Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten to, finally, live up to their potential.

Jeremiah Masoli: No Park And Rec For Me, I'm Going To The NFL

Photo Credit: BRUCE NEWMAN, Oxford Eagle

According to Kyle Veazey, of the Clarion-Ledger, Jeremiah Masoli is exiting stage left on his career at Ole Miss in order to devote more time to training for the NFL. And, unless you live in the land of make-believe, you are hardly surprised by his decision to do so—after all, who would turn down a shot at millions just to work as a park ranger (Masoli was pursuing a masters degree in parks and rec)?

No offense to the park rangers of the world, of course, appreciate all you do.

However, his decision will seem rather curious to the many who actually believed Masoli's transfer to Ole Miss was about "starting over". I mean, Ole Miss offered the chance for him to study something that Oregon simply did not offer. He had no choice but to request a transfer waiver so that he could do what he needed to do—academically—right? The whole playing football thing was secondary to his pursuit of academics.

Yeah. 

While that's a charming story, few actually believed that story back then, and they certainly will feel resolved in not having done so in light of his decision to bail out now. 

According to Masoli's website, he still intends to complete his studies at some point, but right now his focus is on training.

Again, no one can fault Masoli for wanting to see what the NFL has to offer, but if you truly believe that he has any intention of returning to Ole Miss to complete his studies, well, I have a sunny piece of property at the North Pole I'd like to sell you.

Looking forward to seeing how this next chapter plays out for the embattled quarterback and even more curious to see what Houston Nutt will do next season.

College Football: Power Ranking The SEC Quarterbacks After Week Nine

See week eight here.
1. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas (27/44 for 409 yards and 3 touchdowns) vs. Vanderbilt. 

Mallett is finally coming back from the haze that beset him when he was knocked out of the Auburn game a couple weeks ago—he and his big arm came to play on Saturday.

Vanderbilt looked over-matched, tired, and defeated long before halftime and, not surprisingly, failed to show up in the second half at all as the Razorbacks traipsed all over them en route to another win.

2010 season stats: 172/259 for 2,449 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. 

2. Cam Newton, Auburn (18/24 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns) at Ole Miss. 

Okay, so he wasn't SuperCam this past week, but he still accounted for 21 of Auburn's 51 points in their rout of Ole Miss.

Most impressive in this game was he added a third-dimension to his march towards the Heisman (is there really anyone else that can touch him?) by acting as wide receiver—scoring on a 20-yard touchdown touchdown pass. 

2010 season stats: 108/162 for 1,573 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. 168 carries for 1,122 
yards and 14 touchdowns. 

3. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina (13/22 for 223 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. 10 carries for 18 yards and 2 touchdowns) at Tennessee. 

Garcia wasn't brilliant as a passer, but his legs and arm led the way for the Gamecocks as they managed to withstand a determined Volunteers team—the return of Marcus Lattimore (who rushed for 184 yards and a touchdown) didn't hurt his efforts much either.

2010 season stats: 137/194 for 1,904 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. 62 carries for 86 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

4. Tyler Bray, Tennessee (9/15 for 159 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception) vs. South Carolina. 

It was a noble effort for Bray who rallied the Volunteers' offense to 14 second half points to tie the game at 24. However, as has been the case all season for Dooley's bunch, they simply couldn't sustain their intensity for the whole 60 minutes—giving up 14 points to the Gamecocks late in the fourth quarter—ending their comeback bid.

2010 season stats: 25/47 for 302 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. 

5. Chris Relf, Mississippi State (7/16 for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. 16 carries for 79 yards and 1 touchdown) vs. Kentucky.

Relf sealed the win with a late touchdown run in the fourth quarter and, as has been the case for this entire season, he didn't have to be impressive—just deliberate—as he led Dan Mullens crew to their 7th win of the season.

2010 season stats: 70/131 for 926 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. 123 carries for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns. 

6. Jeremiah Masoli, Ole Miss (20/33 for 189 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception) vs. Auburn. 

There was little Masoli could have done to stop the Newton train from plowing through Oxford on Saturday. Auburn had too many weapons and Masoli's average effort wasn't going to be enough to stay in the same league as the Tigers.

Still, he gets marginal credit for being, for the most part, smart with the football and not leading his team to a worse beating than they could have suffered.

2010 season stats: 116/203 for 1,449 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. 89 carries for 429 yards and 3 touchdowns. 

7. Aaron Murray, Georgia (18/37 for 313 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions) at Florida. 

Well, for the first time this season, Aaron Murray looked like the redshirt freshman that he is—fumbling once and throwing three picks. While he gets an 'A' for the effort he took in bringing the Bulldogs back in the fourth and forcing overtime, his costly interception in the overtime period all but sealed the deal on a Georgia loss—a painful one to be sure.

2010 season stats: 139/230 for 2,079 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. 62 carries for 181 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

8. Mike Hartline, Kentucky (23/41 for 258 yards 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions) at Mississippi State.

It has been an emotional ride for the Wildcats all season as they always seem to be just a few minutes shy of sealing the deal on a win. This past weekend was no different as the team let another one slip away late in the game. Hartline wasn't nearly as impressive this week—throwing the last-minute interception that ended all hopes of the Wildcats upsetting another Top 25 team.

2010 season stats: 207/314 for 2,402 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

9. John Brantley, Florida (16/25 for 193 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception) vs. Georgia.

Lucky for Florida, they really didn't need Brantley—who saw the turf more than he saw the endzone—as Trey Burton (17 carries for 110 yards and 1 touchdown), Chris Rainey (16 carries for 84 yards and 1 touchdown), and that opportunistic Florida defense led the way to a Gator victory.

2010 season stats: 145/233 for 1,459 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. 

10. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt (4/12 for 25 yards and 1 touchdown) at Arkansas.

25 yards?...Really. What else can you say about Larry Smith as an SEC quarterback?

2010 season stats: 89/176 for 1,030 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. 75 carries for 351 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Hopefully, Jeremiah Masoli Won't Be Just Another Jamar Hornsby For Ole Miss

According to ESPN's Joe Schad, the University of Mississippi has decided to allow Jeremiah Masoli to enroll in one of their graduate programs this fall. Masoli would not be granted a scholarship to the Ole Miss football team, but he would be granted access as a walk-on.

That said, there is the possibility that Masoli, who is a good student, could receive financial aid in the form of reduced tuition or grant money to assist in covering the cost of out-of-state tuition at Ole Miss. If Masoli does enroll, it would be the second time in as many seasons that coach Houston Nutt has taken a chance on a player with a history of legal troubles.

In 2009, Nutt decided to take a chance on former Florida Gator, Jamar Hornsby. Hornsby was dismissed from the Gators after the 2007 season when it was discovered he used the credit card of a deceased student—a young lady who died in a motorcycle accident—to charge items amounting to more than $3000. The student turned out to be the girlfriend of his teammate, Joe Haden.

Horsnby never played a down in Oxford. He was charged with assault and, subsequentially, released by Nutt before the start of the season.

Masoli will be Nutt's second attempt at trying on a troubled player. If it works out for him, he will be lauded for having the foresight to give a guy another chance to make good on his skills. However, if the plan backfires, Nutt could see his seat in Oxford become a lot less comfortable.

Nothing is set in stone yet, so this deal could falter and fail, but if it doesn't, the only issue Nutt will hope to face is how to fit Masoli into his pro-style offense. Masoli worked out of a spread-option system at Oregon and, at 5'11" isn't exactly the ideal height for a pro-style QB.

Either way, Nutt appears to be rolling the dice on this one. Hopefully, second times the charm.

The NCAA Needs To Tighten It's Rules Regarding Facebook Contact

The NCAA needs to decide what is and isn't okay where Facebook is concerned. According to Kyle Veazey of the ClarionLedger.com, Ole Miss may be in line for a "secondary" recruiting violation after assistant coach, Chris Vaughn, commented on the public wall of Mississippi State commit, Jermaine Whitehead—the NCAA does not allow this.

However, here's the kicker:

“Our members are concerned about the level of intrusion in a young person’s life related to recruiting, and the celebrity culture that can develop around the recruitment process, which is why limits are placed on how often coaches can contact recruits,” NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn said. (ClarionLedger.com, 6/26/10).

Huh?

Let me explain my perplexed state, the NCAA does allow a coach to send private messages to a potential prospect. How is that not intrusion? After all, the NCAA would have zero knowledge of what's said or sent in that message.

So a coach can decide to compile a video presentation featuring an ESPN highlight reel of the prospect's future accomplishments and opportunities if he chose to sign with their school, link that video as a part of the private message, and the NCAA would have no idea—how is that okay?

Of course, one might say that the same can be done in a recruits living room or on their official visit—the NCAA won't be present in those situations either.

That's a point well-taken but as stated above, limits are imposed on the amount of contact a program can make with a potential recruit. Visits to the home and/or the school are set in advance. There are specific guidelines one fact-to face contact and telephone calls. This is not the same thing as being allowed to send a private message on a social medium.

Social mediums provide the added bonus of being able to attach video messages that can, indirectly, be considered face-to-face contact. A coach could video himself talking one-to-one with a recruit and no one would be the wiser—including the NCAA.

Again...I am perplexed.

A "secondary violation" amounts to nothing so Ole Miss is likely willing to take a calculated risk if it nets them a player—assuming that they truly did anything at all. If nothing else, Facebook has proven to be a place where you can be anyone you wish to be—identities are rarely verified unless a barrage of complaints are levied against a particular user. So this whole thing could be a whole lot of nothing.

If not, the NCAA needs to consider the legitimacy of this rule altogether because at the simplest level it doesn't make a lick of sense.