Published July 3, 2012 - 4:28am
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Fresh off his Georgia decommitment, Derrick Henry says “Alabama is my leader”. Henry decommitted from UGA last month and Tweeted his new leader yesterday. He will also wait until December to make a final decision, but he said standout freshmen TJ Yeldon (Alabama) and Keith Marshall (Georgia) will not influence his decision. “Football is competition and that’s what I love,” he said. “I’m a competitor and I love to compete. Competition is nothing that scares me away from anywhere.” [AL]
Legal experts say that Isaiah Crowell could face five years in prison but will likely get probation. Crowell, as we know, was charged with two felonies of possession of a weapon with an altered identification and possession of a weapon in a school zone. But since he does not have any criminal history, he’ll likely get probation. “It depends on if they want to make an example of him,” said Tom Kemp, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta who was a prosecutor in DeKalb County for six years. “The prosecutor could seek some prison time, but I doubt they will. They may seek some combination of probation and maybe some county time, six months, 30 days, something in that range.” [AJC]
LSU received a commitment from the top ranked LB in the state of Louisiana. Melvin Jones (6-3, 245lbs) from Lake Charles Washington-Marion committed to the Tigers over several other big-time programs in the country. He is committed to play MLB, but he could have the potential to outgrow the position, seeing he’s already at 245lbs. After six LB signees in last year’s class, the Tigers LB corps will be very good for several more years…surprise, surprise. [The Advocate]
Florida DT signee Dante Phillips was reportedly denied admission, according to his dad. Phillips was one of the higher rated UF signees at DT, but he won’t be playing for the Gators during his college career. “He’s been cleared by the NCAA. He’s academically eligible. But the admissions office says he can’t enroll at Florida. If he can’t get in there, we have to look at other places. He’s got some offers out there. He’s totally qualified (academically) to go to other schools.” Of course, that’s only one side of the story. [Gator Sports]
Since the Texas A&M Aggies are in the SEC, they aim to reinvent themselves as a national brand. A new conference; a new commissioner; a new football coach. There is a ton of changes for TAMU fans to digest this fall. “It’s been extremely positive and it’s actually grown,” interim athletic director John Thornton said. “It’s exciting. There’s a buzz and it’s just been consistent. I’ve been at A&M for over 30 years as a coach and an administrator and gone through the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 and there’s nothing you can compare this to. There’s just genuine, genuine excitement and anticipation.” [Dallas News]
