Published April 16, 2012 - 4:04am
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Alabama early enrollee RB TJ Yeldon was the star of the spring game. Yeldon is a 6’2″, 215lb back from Daphne, Alabama, and he figures to contribute in year one. He ran for 88 yards and caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, and both were game-highs on yardage. He looks like a complete RB for the Tide, as he can run, block and catch the football really well out of the backfield. [AL.com]
Alabama picked up two commitments over the weekend in Deon Johnson and Anthony Averett. Both Johnson and Averett are defensive backs, with Averett playing safety and Johnson playing anywhere in the defensive backfield. Alabama now has 11 commitments for the 2013 class. [AL.com]
Current Arkansas players are rallying around the current staff after the Petrino firing. Both Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis want the current staff to coach in the fall because learning a new system would be just too much in one year. Obviously, both Wilson and Davis will be gone after this next year to the next stage of their careers. Wilson still has not spoken to Petrino after his firing, and he is just not sure if he even will. [Arkansas Sports 360]
Auburn sophomore QB Kiehl Frazier came out of A-Day with better stats than the other QBs. Frazier was 7-9 for 92 yards, all in the first half. Zeke Pike was next in line to be the QB after Frazier, and Clint Moseley barely played in the first half and got most of his work in the second half. Also, RBs Mike Blakely and Corey Grant scored the game’s only touchdowns, with Blakely rushing for 65 yards and Grant 23 yards. [AL.com]
Georgia held their annual G-Day game this past weekend, and there were some pleasant surprises. Backup QB Christian LeMay has progressed very nice this spring, and he is the solid backup to Aaron Murray. LeMay hit tight end Jay Rome for a leaping, twisting grab with 59 seconds left for a 66-yard score. RB Ken Malcome had a great rushing day, and he outplayed returning starter Isaiah Crowell on this day. [AJC]
Mississippi State is going to feature one dynamic tight end in Malcolm Johnson and another complement in Brandon Hill. Johnson is a great athlete with a rare combination of both size and speed. He’s an athlete. Johnson could be lined up at all sorts of positions on offense, from TE to H-Back, much like Aaron Hernandez for the Patriots. The Bulldogs need Johnson to be a big key, and for Hill to be a solid No. 2 TE for this team to create production at the position. [Clarion Ledger]
Redshirt freshman QB Corbin Berkstresser showed everyone what he could in Missouri’s spring game this past weekend, filling in for the injured starting QB James Franklin. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 187 yards and a 32-yard TD pass to WR TJ Moe. There are still some questions on whether Franklin will be ready for the start of fall camp, as he just removed his arm from the sling this past weekend. However, Franklin contends he’ll be ready for fall camp. [Kansas City Star]
Offensive firepower shines at South Carolina’s spring game. Starting QB Connor Shaw completed 6 of 7 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, while back-up QB Dylan Thompson threw for 168 yards and a touchdown. Tanner McEvoy, who is competing with Thompson for the No. 2 spot, also added two touchdowns. Defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor didn’t play, which could have contributed to this offensive show, but this is starting to sound like the Spurrier offenses we know and love. [Post and Courier]
Brian Randolph is growing into a great player for the Vols. Randolph is only a rising sophomore, but his football IQ is very high. Safeties coach Josh Conklin would have had a hard time recognizing Randolph as being so young. He’s a very solid player in the defensive backfield for the Vols, and he’s growing into a leader for this defense – a defense that needs to rely on its young leaders. [Go Vols Xtra]
Clowney and Taylor both played the first one or two opening drives.