Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, July 16, 2014
SEC media days are rolling on in Alabama. And, even though he has been gone from Vanderbilt for six months, James Franklin is still a topic.
"He repeatedly told us, 'I'm not leaving, no matter what. You guys don't have to worry,'" Vanderbilt defensive lineman Adam Butler told The Tennessean. "He even took it as far as breaking down in tears like he always does. He was saying 'I'm not leaving,' and then right after the ball game (BBVA Compass Bowl), I mean no warning, no nothing, he just disappeared."
Why even bring this up? Regardless, you know feelings were hurt in Music City when Franklin bolted. And the emotions will be raw for some time. But, isn?t it time to move on?
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Another podcast from the great tandem of Scott Dochterman and Marc Morehouse of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Among other things, they talk about Big Ten media days coming up at the end of the month, and about which songs Kinnick Stadium should add to its playlist.
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Speaking of Iowa, it is looking for two new recruiting assistants. No big shocker. Kirk Ferentz hinted in June that he planned to make changes to his recruiting department. Nearly a month later, he?s seeking a pair of new recruiting assistants. The school posted the full-time jobs on July 1 - the first date of the new fiscal year. Both positions will assist new recruiting coordinator/assistant coach Seth Wallace. More proof that this is a new-age of college football.
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Who are Northwestern?s most important players? The folks at InsideNU.com have the answer.
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This Michigan vs. Oklahoma football series in 2025 and 2026 is gonna be great. I just wish it was happening sooner. I don?t wanna wait that long. I wonder who will be the coaches then?
The Wolverines and Sooners previously met in the 1976 Orange Bowl, a 14-6 victory for Oklahoma.
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This is a good sign for Penn State: TE Adam Breneman is seeing improvement this summer. And he likes what he has seen from the next batch of incoming players.
"The whole freshman class has just got here," Breneman said. "I've been very impressed with them. As far as, not only athletically; they all came here in great shape and working hard, but just the character of those guys reminds me a lot of our 2013 class.
"These are guys that stayed with the program with a coaching change with Coach O'Brien and these guys deserve a lot of credit too."
No doubt, Penn State appears to be bringing in some talented players despite having low scholarship numbers.
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Not shocked to see this: Flozell Adams will be inducted into the Michigan State Hall of Fame. The guy was a beast while in East Lansing.
The massive offensive tackle played for the Spartans from 1994-1997 before enjoying a 13-year NFL career that included five Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl appearance his final season (2010) with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"Just hearing the name, 'Hall of Fame,' means a great deal to me," Adams told MLive.com.?We've had so many great athletes at Michigan State that for me to be selected is such an honor. I never thought I'd be Hall of Fame anything."
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More HOF talk: Nice to see former Husker o-lineman Russ Hochstein get put in the Nebraska Hall of Fame.
He teamed with Dominic Raiola and Toniu Fonoti to help give Nebraska some good front in the early 2000s, helping NU to the national title game in 2001. Hochstein was the right guard and Fonoti the left guard surrounding Rimington Award-winning center Raiola in 2000, when Nebraska was the national rushing leader at 349.3 yards per game. Hochstein was an All-Big 12 pick for the second consecutive season in 2000, and also recognized as a first-team All-American by the Sporting News. The Huskers went 22-3 over his final two years, including a pair of bowl wins and a Big 12 championship in 1999.
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Purdue is hoping an influx of incoming freshmen helps reverse the fortunes of a hoops program that is mired in a two-season funk. One of those guys in Vince Edwards, a real team-first guy.
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Michigan?s Zak Irvin is looking to become more than a shooter as a sophomore. The former Indiana Mr. Basketball going to have to be if the Wolverines want to remain among the Big Ten elite.
?I did shoot a lot of 3s — mostly 3s — all of last year,? Irvin said at Zack Novak?s Shooting Academy at Dexter High School.
?I know I?m known as a shooter, but I don?t want that label,? said Irvin, who averaged 6.7 points in 15.4 minutes as a freshman. ?I definitely don?t want that label this upcoming year. I want to put the ball on the floor and be more versatile.?
| About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |
