National Signing Day is less than two weeks away, and out of nowhere we have another major coaching vacancy in the SEC. Even three weeks after the end of the season, news is still coming in on the daily around the conference. If you missed anything over the weekend, SDS has you covered with a rundown of the SEC’s top stories and recruiting commitments.

  • Lane Kiffin will stay at Alabama. After rumors last weekend that Alabama’s offensive coordinator was the front-runner for the same job with the San Francisco 49ers, Alabama announced over the weekend that Kiffin would indeed be back for 2015. The announcement stems the tide of assistant coach losses for the Crimson Tide, after three members of Nick Saban’s staff left for other opportunities already this offseason.
  • Crimson Tide staff moves. Alabama filled the vacancy created when Lance Thompson went to Auburn by promoting defensive analyst Tosh Lupoi, a West Coast recruiting specialist who had previously been under NCAA scrutiny for violations while at Washington. Additionally, the Crimson Tide brought on former UAB assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Jody Wright as director of player personnel. Wright was on Saban’s staff from 2010-12 as a defensive graduate assistnat.
  • Five-star DE Byron Cowart leaves Florida visit early. The Gators had one of the top uncommitted prospects in the country in town over the weekend for an official visit, but Cowart headed back to Tampa early when his mom was called into work. Read into that what you will. Cowart is deciding between Florida and Auburn.
  • Former Tennessee CB transfers to Maryland. UT announced in December that D’Andre Payne would transfer, and over the weekend we learned his next destination: Maryland. Payne, who was highly sought after coming out of high school, chose a school closer to home, as he hails from the Washington, D.C. area.
  • Alabama fan trolls Twitter with fake Kevin Steele account. An Alabama fan, possibly a bit irked that Steele left Alabama for LSU, was using a fake Steele account to contact LSU recruits. LSU’s official Twitter account debunked that account, leading to the Steele account proprietor to reveal themselves as an Alabama fan.
  • LSU fullback makes history. You may not have heard of Connor Neighbors, but the LSU fullback found a place in Senior Bowl history this week, becoming the first third-generation player to participate in the game, after his grandfather and father, both former Alabama players, played in the game.

Recruiting commitments

  • Alabama — 3-star OL Isaiah Prince (Greenbelt, Md.)
  • Arkansas — 3-star CB Ryan Pulley (Cape Coral, Fla.)
  • Florida — 3-star LB Rayshad Jackson (Miami, Fla.)
  • Georgia — 3-star OT Sam Madden (Barnegat, N.J.)
  • Kentucky — 3-star DT Javon Provitt (Warren, Oh.)
  • LSU — 3-star ATH Lanard Fournette (New Orleans, La.)
  • Missouri — 3-star WR Brandon Martin (Dallas, Tex.); 3-star DT Tyrell Jacobs (Metairie, La.)
  • Ole Miss — 3-star DE Rasool Clemons (Aiken, S.C.); 4-star WR Van Jefferson (Brentwood, Tenn.)
  • South Carolina — 2-star OT Dennis Daley (Columbia, S.C.)