Georgia State picks up first 2013 commitment

WR Devonte Washington 

Well this is my first report on Georgia State since they announced they was leaving the CAA I-AA (FCS) to come back home to the Sun Belt Conference. Since the CAA is turning all heads away from Georgia State, I decided to add them into my reporting early on as we welcome them to the SBC family.

One day after Georgia State lost its first commitment for 2013, another recruit came along to be the first commitment for the Georgia State Panthers.

Devonte Washington of Jacksonville, Fla., committed to Georgia State over Iowa State and Florida Atlantic on last Tuesday.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver is rated as a 2 Star recruit from Rivals.com and Georgia State was the first program to offer him a scholarship.

Troy gets four early commitments for 2013

Troy is on the job recruiting great players for the 2013 signing class picking early verbal commitments and receiving talented players.

Troy picked up its first commitment for the 2013 signing class when Brett Medforth, an offensive lineman from Sylacauga, AL gave his verbal commitment.

Brett Medforth, 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, have some interest from South Florida and also had offers from Jacksonville State and Appalachian State.

Lexington, S.C., offensive lineman Johnathan Boring impressed Troy coaches during a recent camp, earning his first offer, but he had also been recruited by Clemson, Duke, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Johnathan Boring is 6’5 and 270 lbs, he currently plays center for Lexington High School, which went 11-1 last year.

Taylor Edwards from Water Valley, Miss., gave a verbal commitment Monday morning. Edwards is 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds and plays right tackle for Water Valley High School. 

Edwards' received his first offer from Troy and he recently picked up an offer from UL-Monroe.

Enterprise, Ala., wide receiver Clark Quisenberry is the latest prospect to verbally commit to the Troy Trojans. He earned honorable mention all-state honors last year as a tight end.

Clark Quisenberry is 6’3 and 205lbs. He played tight end at Enterprise but is being recruited as an inside receiver for the Trojans. Quisenberry had 37 catches for 692 yards and five touchdowns last year.

The coaching staff is wasting no time recruiting awesome players for the Trojans.

All commitments are non-binding until a letter of intent is signed next February.

What would it take for the Sun Belt Conference defense to step up the latter?

It’s been said time and time again that defense wins championships. I somewhat believe that after following football for the time that I have.

What I have noticed is that it’s going to take strong, sizeable and developed players on the defensive line in the Sun Belt Conference to win games, championships and bowl games with seasoned minded coaches on the defensive line.

The SBC is becoming known for a strong and contend able offense that can move the ball on the field. However the offense is not going to carry the game just by itself.

I look at the non-conference schedules of the SBC teams and I wonder who can we beat and why we can’t beat certain teams, whether we are in our house or theirs. Over the past several years the SBC has been playing several SEC schools year after year. Some SBC schools have managed to put up some sustainable points. Such as when Troy played Arkansas and only lost by 10 points last year. If Troy would have had the defensive line of size, strength and better play calls that game could have been called in favor of the Trojans.

Troy has shown a lot of progress over these seven years. In 2001, Troy surprised the SEC by beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs at their homecoming. Granted, MSU was not exactly a powerhouse at that time—but regardless, getting a win over an SEC team is a big deal.

Then came the 2007 season when Troy hosted Oklahoma State—and won! 

Is it really the size and strength of the players, maybe-may not.  Maybe it’s that the coaches need to find a more adequate way of developing the players for defense. I don’t think it would hurt to spend a few more dollars and go out and get a defensive coordinator and defensive line coaches from a SEC, Big 12, Big 10 or Pac 12 school to help develop the players into where they need to be on the defensive line. Bringing in a quality DC coordinator wouldn’t hurt if you want to move to the top. They are willing to come; many would come if the money was right.

However some look at the SBC as small contenders that get run over year in and year out by the big schools. They often say the SBC want never be a conference to contend with. But I believe the time is changing and changing fast and the SBC conference is about to change that story in the near future.

FIU is a departing member this fall; they too have made improvements to be contenders. Last year they manage to hold off and get a win over Louisville Cardinals from the Big East.

Coaches in the SBC and all ten are great, but setting the agenda year in and year out to secure and recruit quality defensive line players whether they are from high school or junior colleges, needs to be the center focus of having a winning team. Some teams have began to do that, such as the new coach at Arkansas State Gus Malzhan, he had the best recruiting class in 2012 with most JC’s coming in are on the defensive line. He also brought in John Thompson as Defensive Coordinator of the Red Wolves.

But it cannot stop there. Players have to continue to work out and grow in size and strength all over the SBC. They have to want to learn and be consistent that they can win and will win.

South Alabama Jaguars is the newest football program to the Sun Belt Conference this fall. They to have a great defense under coach Joey Jones and Defensive Coordinator Bill Clark. Their defense is ranked 12th in the nation by SI.com for this upcoming season.

The Sun Belt Conference would be an awesome contender to a conference like the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac 12, Big East and ACC in the future if we invest in what is really needed and recruiting the players that have the mind of winning and willing to be developed to win games. 

Middle Tennessee lands four early commits for 2013

Marquis Morton 

A.J. Erdely

Two weeks of successful summer camps earlier this month yielded four verbal commitments for MTSU football, including two pivotal players from Tennessee and two from Georgia.

Shelbyville High running back Marquis Morton and Alcoa offensive lineman Dalton Ownby is the lastest to join two Georgia products, quarterback A.J. Erdely and kicker Canon Rooker.

Ownby, a 6-foot-3, 290-pounder, worked out at MTSU’s Big Man & Kicking Camp on Saturday. He plays tackle for Alcoa, where he won state titles as a freshman and sophomore, but he will likely serve as offensive guard at MTSU.

Dalton Ownby 

Morton (5-11, 180lbs) went to MTSU’s Friday Night Lights skills camp. He amassed 1,288 rushing yards, 285 receiving yards and 24 total touchdowns as the District 8-AAA MVP last season at Shelbyville.

Erdely was at MTSU’s June 2 Elite Camp. As a junior last season, he passed for more than 1,600 yards, 17 TDs and five interceptions and rushed for more than 500 yards and five scores in a wing-T offense while leading West Forsyth (Ga.) High to an 11-2 record.

Cannon Rocker 

Rocker, a kicker from Richmond Hills (Ga.) High, called his commitment “a very easy decision.” Rocker has made only 4-of-6 field goals over the last two seasons, but he has impressed recruiting services and MTSU coaches in workouts.

MTSU coaches and squad can really use some help in 2013 with these prospects. MTSU is coming off an dis-appointing season last fall and looking to rebound as a football program. 

Louisana-Monroe picks up Quarterback Bivins Caraway

The quarterback says his pick is pretty solid for him

Quarterback Bivins Caraway 

Longview High in Texas Quarterback Bivins Caraway committed to the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is 6'0 and 200lbs. 

“I just want to play my senior season with nothing to worry about,” Caraway said.

Caraway, who has offers from ULM, Navy, New Mexico and Texas State, he completed 125 of 233 passes for 2,424 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 190 yards and six touchdowns as Longview finished 11-2 with a Class 5A Division II Region II semifinal appearance last season.

“I visited with the coaching staff and talked to a few players. I liked the offense a lot, too,” Caraway said.

“They had a Taco Bell right down the street and that’s my favorite place to eat at.”

Caraway enters 2012 as one of the marquee faces of a Longview squad that has high hopes. 

Coach Todd Berry and company at Louisiana-Monroe is on the move to build his squad for 2013 class.  It is clear the Coach Berry and his coaching staff has winning on their mind.

Western Kentucky picks up three star Marcus Adams

Marcus Adams 

For a team that is rising in Kentucky and has made huge improvements on the field and finish #2 in the Sun Belt Conference last season is wasting no time recruiting the best for the 2013 season.

Western Kentucky got a big commit from 3-Star recruit Marcus Adams. Adams is a 2013 recruit from Tri Cities High School in Georgia. At 6'0 270 lbs. he is ranked the 103rd best defensive tackle in the 2013 class. He had offers from TCU, Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State.

According to Rivals.com his commitment is a soft verbal. This is WKU's 3rd 2013 commit,  joining Mayfield defensive end LaBront Scott and Lakeland (Fla.) linebacker T.J. Simmons.

A Vigor High School standout hoping to play for South Alabama in the near future

A young talented high school football player dream is to stay close to home and play college football on the offensive line.

Markus Cook 

Markus Cook is a 6’2, 280lb (Center) from Vigor High School where he is a senior. He is currently looking and hoping to commit, attend and accept an offer from a FBS school locally and hopefully at South Alabama in 2013.

Markus Cook wears the number 55, and plays center on the field like one day he wants to be in the NFL. Sometime many players get overlooked by quality programs in the FBS and get passed on to FCS schools and other divisions in collegiate football. It’s not stoping Markus Cook from wanting to play on the collegiate level if he not selected by a FBS Division 1 program.

According to 247sports.com, Markus Cook is the 29 center in the nation and the 50th overall best player in Alabama.

Markus has been playing football basically all of his youth and teenage years from park league to junior high. He has the passion and love of football as he has continued to play and become a starter at Vigor High School in Prichard, Alabama. But first Markus has to get out of high school and into on good college football program that will develop him and prepare him for his dream in the pro’s.

“I was always a fan of the game, then in the 7th grade I started playing again, and that’s when I really began to love the game, said Cook.”

Many great players have come out of Vigor High School in Prichard, Alabama over the years, most recently was JaMicheal Wilson who recently committed to Florida State. Many of Vigor players have committed to SEC schools.

Markus Cook won the Optimist Club Offensive Lineman of the week twice last year and made it to the State championships. He graded out at 98% last year as well.

The 17yr old senior has attended three camps this summer. He also has attended a summer camp at South Alabama this month, in which the coaches were very pleased in his talent. Markus left with a smile and a positive spirit after meeting with coaches face to face on the practice field.  South Alabama has not made a offer to Markus yet, but there are several other schools that have shown interest in this Vigor High School standout, and those schools are  Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Lafayette , Nicholls State , Troy, Murray State, Tulane, Alabama State, UAB , and Tuskegee.

However Markus Cook is one day hoping to receive an offer from the South Alabama Jaguars. “I'll have to weigh my options which ever school is the best for me the one I feel comfortable with, the school, coaches and a family environment, said Cook.”

Markus Cook insisted that South Alabama is his top choice if the offer comes available to him, but he said that  Jacksonville State or Louisiana Lafayette are still in his interest as well. “I just want to be the best I can be, Cook said.”  

Markus Cook has played center on the offensive side of the ball, but Markus said he may play guard in college. I asked Markus about one day entering into the NFL and this is what he had to say, “Yes sir I do but if I don't I'll have my education to fall back on.”

Markus is not letting anything deter him from playing in college or the NFL; he is ready to make a good year out of his senior year at Vigor High School and move on to college. But if he doesn’t make it to the NFL, Markus has hope that one day he will be a star still.

Last but not least Markus wade in about Mobile now having a college football team for the first time ever. “I feel like it is good for us local players and that South can bring a big name school to Mobile and give the city positive publicity.” 

DeQuin Andrews gives Louisiana his Verbal commitment

DeQuin Andrews 

Farmerville High in Louisiana Defensive Lineman DeQuin Andrews open the eyes of many during spring football as a playmaker on the defensive side of the football. The (6'3,268 lbs) 2011 All-District athlete's performance at UL's Senior Camp was good enough to garner an offer from the staff. Thursday afternoon, Andrews made the decision to give the Ragin' Cajuns and Coach Hudspeth his verbal commitment.

Coach Marquase Lovings has done an excellent job of recruiting talent out of north Louisiana for the Ragin’ Cajun football program.

 “Coach Lovings is great, when I told him that I was committing he was like “that’s great!”, Dequin said. “He was really excited and he had me laughing on the phone at him. I told Coach Hudspeth and he was pretty excited about it too. I just decided that I wanted to commit at this time and focus on my senior season.”

Andrews had traveled down to Lafayette on June 9th for the UL Senior Prospect Camp and his performance there helped seal an early offer from the Ragin’ Cajuns. 

However the defensive lineman says he would like to get a couple more camps in before it’s all over at Texas A&M and LSU. 

Arkansas State beat out Missouri and Nebraska for Cedar Hills QB

Have you ever wondered when would the Sun Belt start recruiting big time recruits well it’s been happening a little but not much. But in the coming seasons and years start expecting more. Just the athlete did from Texas.

Damion Hobbs

Arkansas State beat a SEC and Big Ten school out for the three star Texas quarterback.

Damion Hobbs, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete from Cedar Hill,Tx is rated as a three star signal caller by Scout.com and is ranked the No. 33 rated dual threat quarterback in the nation.

“It feels fantastic,” Hobbs told AStateNation Monday afternoon. “I’m about to be a part of something special.”

Hobbs also admitted that it was the relationships he has built with Malzahn and Offensive Coordinator Rhett Lashlee that was a difference maker for him. According to Hobbs, both coaches were extremely excited about the news.

Hobbs took visits to all three of his final three favorites, Arkansas State, Nebraska and Missouri.

“I felt like it was time,” Hobbs said. “I have been to all the other schools, I know what each has to offer and I truly feel that Arkansas State is best place for me.”

Hobbs admitted he was impressed on his first visit to Jonesboro.

“It was really nice,” Hobbs said. “I was surprised by how nice everything was.”

This just an early sign on what to expect in Jonesboro, Akansas in the Red Wolves nation. Great pickup Red Wolves!

Four team playoff is approved by the BCS presidents

Conference commissioners met with an oversight committee of university presidents and chancellors on Tuesday to approve the four-team seeded playoff, consisting of two semifinal games in bowls and a national championship game that will be put up for bid.

Commissioners presented the plan for 30 minutes then took questions from the presidents, who then deliberated for about three hours before announcing their approval.

A committee will rank playoff teams based on: won-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head and if a team is conference champion

Current BCS contracts run through the 2013 season, so the playoff would go into effect after the 2014 season.

According to the BCS release, the semifinal games will be New Year's Eve or New Year's Day with the title game roughly a week afterward depending on the calendar. The idea is to create a "Championship Monday."

Troy releases it’s 2013 non-conference schedule

Troy has released it 2013 non-conference schedule and it looks like the Trojans will not be playing any opponents outside of the Southern region of the U.S.

Troy opens the 2013 season with back-to-back home games against the UAB Blazers on Aug. 31 and the Alcorn State Braves on Sept. 7. The Trojans will hit the road to face Mississippi State on Sept. 21 and then Ole Miss on Nov. 16. Troy is 1-1 against the Bulldogs and has never faced the Rebels.

Troy now has its hands full with two in-state rivalries in UAB in Birmingham and South Alabama in Mobile. They must now focus on two in-state teams that they have to beat to help them get to a perfect winning record. In 2013 the Troy Trojans will host both in-state rivalry opponents at home in Troy, Alabama in 2013. 

Sun Belt Conference commissioner favors four-team playoff

The Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference has decided to favor a four team playoff for the national title of the NCAA beginning in 2014.

Commissioner Karl Benson 

Benson has been there from the beginning when all 11 BCS conferences begin to meet back in November.

 The commissioners on this past week in Chicago approved and recommend a four team playoff to the board of presidents that is scheduled to meet this week in Washington, D.C.

“There is a general belief that we need to do what is in the best interest of all of college football,” Benson said

“From a Sun Belt standpoint, we strongly support a four-team playoff that also creates some additional access points for teams ranked from 10 to 12 that would allow a team from the Sun Belt (to play in BCS bowl games),” Benson said.

“ … It is very critical that whatever the format is that there remains an opportunity and is labeled as an access point for the Sun Belt champion, in a given year when they have the perfect season and ranked in the top 10, even though they may not qualify for one of the semifinal spots, that there is a spot for the Sun Belt champion to play in a relevant (bowl) game against a prominent opponent in a stadium that is considered to be on the big stage,” he added.

I would like to see one our Sun Belt teams make it to the top, however I still feel that Commissioner Benson and other mid-major conferences chairmen should have fought a little harder in how they decide the top 25, in which mid-major conferences make it into the top 25 for a chance to get to one of the top bowl games.

As a insider for the Sun Belt Conference and after talking to college football pundits, the system is still set to favor the select few, and not in the interest of mid-major conferences such as the Sun Belt Conference. WAC may be no more after this season in football but however there remains a conference like the MAC, CUSA, and MWC.

And the very reason for the overlook of allowing a small mid-major conference to participate in a BCS bowl or reach the top of the ranking, is because they fear that the small teams will not produce the money they would like to see at the table at the end of the day.

I still say that I favor a (12) team playoff for college football. It would work like this…All conference champs would automatically receive a bidding spot which is 10 conferences in the playoffs if the WAC dies as it looks, with two at large bidding spots. Those to at-large spots would be giving to the team with the top two records in the college football rankings at the end of the season. 

The playoffs would be held at bidding campus locations. The playoff would begin two weeks after the regular season and before the college bowl games. And the National Championship Game would be held in January at the end of all bowl games.

In this process all conferences would get a piece of the pie, and all conferences will be able to participate for the national championship. All the bowl games would stay in place and each other would be able to participate in their respective bowls allowing teams that did not make it to the playoffs to at least participate in bowls games.

So don’t go and try to still my playoff plan without asking for permission, it is being submitted for copyrights rights.

I wish the NCAA the best of luck and hope that this is fair to all of our teams that are in the FBS.

Sun Belt Insider top 5 picks for the Sun Belt Conference in 2012

(1)     Florida International has risen in the ranks of the Sun Belt Conference in the past few years. The Golden Panthers will be making their last impression on the SBC this fall before moving on to Conference USA. I chose Florida International as number one because they have 17 returning starters in 2012 and 10 of those are on defense. The Golden Panthers has the best defense in the conference right now besides newcomer South Alabama. FIU must overcome their tough non-conference schedule and maintain a healthy team to face all of its conference foes. Last year in early conference play FIU hosted Louisiana and lost by only five points, they let Arkansas State run over them and then lost to Western Kentucky in the Hilltoppers nation by 1 point. If they could have avoided those loses they would have won the championship one more time last year. However with many of their players returning, I do believe that the Golden Panthers can win the conference title in 2012.

(2)     Troy University will be in the hunt once again for the conference title in 2012, after a stunning season last fall. I do expect the Trojans to bounce back to the top of the Sun Belt and fight for the conference championship once again. The Trojans must hold off Ryan Aplin at Arkansas State, FIU, Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Kentucky in conference play, and the Troy Trojans should regain their title and make a bowl appearance in 2012.

(3)     Arkansas State is under the direction of its new head coach Gus Malzahn. It will be amazing to see how this team adapt to their new head coach and his offense, and will they be able to hold that momentum of Conference Champs. ASU returns a power in QB Ryan Aplin. Arkansas State must also play to win and remain healthy against Oregon and Nebraska in non-conference games. If Arkansas State can hold off Troy, FIU, UL-Lafayette, the championship could once again belong to the Red Wolves.

(4)     Louisiana Lafayette is another team that has made many improvements over the years. Under new head coach Mark Hudspeth the Ragin Cajuns have 13 starters returning this year a squad that is positioned to compete for the conference title. ULL has QB Blaine Gautier back on offense. This team went 9-4 last season and went to a bowl game for the first time in school history. They beat MWC member San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl. If the Ragin Cajuns can hold off Troy, Arkansas State, FIU at home and Western Kentucky then they will receive their first crown as conference champs.

(5)     Western Kentucky is my surprise pick in this process. WKU has made improvements that’s unbelievable. New head coach Willie Taggart has came in a brought life to a team that only won two games in the Sun Belt Conference play since being a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Last season the Hilltoppers finished 7-5 and has won their most games since being in FBS and the Sun Belt Conference. WKU will have QB Kawaun Jakes, RG Adam Smith, TE Jack Doyle and Wide Receiver Jamarielle Brown to help them to a conference title. WKU lost a power in Bobby Rainey a running back. I expect this team to re-stock and be a player in the Sun Belt Conference.  

Three Star Dejon Funderburk verbally commits to South Alabama

Wide Receiver Dejon Funderburk

South Alabama picks up their 3rd commitment for 2013 class in Washington High senior Dejon Funderburk.

While on a visit to South Alabama on Monday, the standout wide receiver gave a verbal commitment to attend the university and be a member of the Jaguars football team in 2013.

“It’s a family atmosphere. Everybody is real friendly, it’s pretty nice over there.”said Funderburk.

The Jaguars will become a full-fledged NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in 2013. The Jags is a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

Funderburk was a Pensacola News Journal All-Area selection at athlete after catching 31 passes for 720 yards and seven touchdowns and adding 362 yards and four TDs on the ground.

Funderburk also has been offered by several SEC schools, including defending national champion Alabama. He also holds offers from Clemson, South Carolina, Kentucky and South Florida.

But a trip to South Alabama put all of those schools in the rear view mirror, as immediately Funderburk felt right at home.

The 6-0, 175-pound standout said the Jaguars gave him the option of where he wanted to play, and his desire is to continue playing on the offensive side of the ball in college.

Funderburk’s commitment gives South Alabama three early commitments. He is joined by Tampa Chamberlain running back Xavier Johnson and Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes defensive back Tiquan Lang.

The 2012 season want be a easy one for FIU before they depart the Sun Belt

Can the Panthers go out with a bang?

Head Coach Mario Cristobal and the Florida International Golden Panthers have some big name opponents to beat, some must win games and some games that want revenge.  

Mario Cristobol has been at the helm of the Golden Panthers for the last five years. In 2010, they burst onto the scene by winning the most games in school history (they've only been around since 2002). Last year they didn't have as much success in the conference but finished the year with a school best eight wins including a victory over Louisville a Big East member.

On offense, FIU must replace WR T.Y. Hilton (72 rec, 9 TD) and QB Wesley Carroll (14 TD, 4 INT).

Leading rusher Kedrick Rhodes (1149 yds, 8 TD) is back and despite the loss of Hilton the wide receiver corps at FIU is still deep. In addition to the returning WRs, the Golden Panthers also brings in Ohio State transfer James Louis. Sophomore Jake Medlock should take over at QB but keep an eye on true freshman E.J. Hilliard. 

FIU also has the most starts returning on the OL in the Sun Belt (and sixth most in the Nation).

Defense has been the cake for Florida International Golden Panthers, as they've led the Sun Belt in scoring defense for two straight years.

The key for FIU to win and win big on an exit from the Sunbelt and make a great impression is to win over the following early games and games throughout the season. (DUKE) FIU will travel to North Carolina to take on Duke at home in the season opener, and will welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Miami on Sept. 22^nd.

Florida International must win games over Sun Belt newcomer South Alabama on November 3^rd , and MAC conference member Akron on September 8^th, and for one last time FIU will travel to FAU has a conference team and in-state rival on November 16^th.  

A revenge matters when FIU take on conference members UL-Lafayette on September 29^th in Louisiana, Arkansas State at home in Miami on Oct. 4^th and then Western Kentucky at home on October 27^th.

Another thing to watch is that FIU will run a faster-paced offense with new coordinator Tim Cramsey. The Golden Panthers should finish the season with a 7-5 record. 

Can Arkansas State do it again?

Arkansas State Head Coach Gus Malzahn 

After one dynamic season, including a perfect 8-0 Sun Belt record, former head coach Hugh Freeze was named the new Ole Miss head coach. Running backs coach David Gunn was named Arkansas State’s interim head coach and led the team in the 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl against Northern Illinois.  

After Freeze’s departure, Arkansas State hired Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to take over the program. Malzahn earned the Frank Broyles Award presented to the nation’s top assistant coach in 2010.

There are some key losses on Arkansas State football team in, WR Dwayne Frampton, OL Tom Castilaw, DL Brandon Joiner, LB Demario Davis, DB Darryl Feemster, DB Kelcie McCray, OL Delano Moore, DL Dorvus Woods, and DB Darron Edwards.

Arkansas State will also see some top returnees in QB Ryan Aplin, WR Josh Jarboe, LB Nathan Herrold, WR Taylor Stockemer, OL Zach McKnight, and CB Chaz Scales.

While Arkansas State lost a lot of starters, Aplin returns to lead the offense and should thrive in head coach Malzahn’s system.

Aplin is a dual threat quarterback who ranked No. 10 nationally in yards of total offense per game with 321.23. Arkansas State’s passing attack ranked No. 16 nationally (293.62 yards per game) and total offense ranked No. 24 (447.85 yards per game).

Talented receivers Taylor Stockemer and Josh Jarboe should be strong playmakers, while the Red Wolves will count on Zach McKnight setting the tone for an offensive line that will feature a lot of new starters.

On the defensive side of the ball, Arkansas State ranked No. 8 nationally in tackles for a loss (7.62 per game) and tied for No. 15 in sacks (2.69 per game).

I do predict that Gus Malzahn and his new team will put up a lot of points this falls. Malzahn and the Red Wolves has a chance to once again be the Sun Belt Champions if all holds well with the team and out play Troy, Western Kentucky, UL-Lafayette and FIU. 

Arkansas State Red Wolves at Oregon Ducks on ESPN this fall

The Red Wolves and Ducks will be one of the featured games on opening night on Sept 1^st, 2012 on national television.

ESPN apparently loves the style of both teams and thinks the matchup will be worth watching.  

Oregon Ducks and-Arkansas State Red Wolves will be broadcasted on ESPN. It’s a late kickoff. But with those two offenses it’s got to be worth staying up to watch.

Arkansas State’s Gus Malzahn will debut his coaching tenure with the Red Wolves for the first time, the defending Sun Belt Conference champions, at defending Pac-12 and Rose Bowl champion Oregon at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN. Malzahn was the offensive coordinator of the Auburn team that defeated Oregon in the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship.

Both teams had a successful record last season, and both have great offenses, this will be a game to watch late at night on ESPN. A Sun Belt champion up against a BCS PAC-12 champion.

Oregon finished 12-2 overall and ranked No. 4 in the country, following a 45-38 victory against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. ASU ended 2011 with a GoDaddy.com Bowl appearance and 10-3 record.

ASU head coach Gus Malzahn knows all about Oregon and their ducks. Coach Malzahn will not bringing the tigers to town this time around,  he’s going to battle with some red wolves. So those ducks better not get caught sleeping in the dark, because those red wolves will eat them up. 

UNT changes course, and adds Dylan McDorman to 2012 recruiting class

Dylan McDorman was getting ready to head to his job at Cavender’s in Wichita Falls late last week and a phone call changed his plans for the next year according to a media outlet.

Dylan McDorman 

North Texas wide receivers coach Nick Quartaro was on the line and wanted to know if McDorman would be willing to join the Mean Green this fall.

The former Wichita Falls Rider defensive tackle didn’t have to think about twice before telling Quartaro and UNT head coach Dan McCarney that he would be happy to start his college career earlier than planned.

McDorman was among three players who committed to sign with UNT in its 2012 recruiting class and later agreed to put off enrolling at the school until January, a practice known as grayshirting.

UNT’s coaches changed course and asked McDorman to enroll in the summer when another scholarship became available for this fall.

“I was hoping that it would happen,” McDorman  

McDorman will report to UNT on July 5. “I have kept in shape and continued to work out,” McDorman said. “I am hoping that I can help right away.”

WKU-Southern Miss will be on ESPN3

ESPN and the Sun Belt Conference announced Thursday that Western Kentucky’s home football game Sept. 22 against Southern Mississippi will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.

The 6 p.m. kickoff from Houchens-Smith Stadium will be the first matchup between the Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles. Southern Miss finished the 2011 season with a 12-2 record, knocking off previously undefeated Houston to win the Conference USA championship, before concluding its season with a victory over Nevada in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

This will be an interesting game to watch and attend, to see WKU a most improved team play the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. 

ASU-Memphis Football Game will be televised on ESPN3

The Arkansas State Athletic Department announced last week that ESPN has selected the Sept. 8 Arkansas-State Memphis football game, scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff at ASU Stadium, to be televised on ESPN3.com.

The Red Wolves now have four games set to be televised in 2012, including one on ESPN2 and two others on ESPNU.  Additional television opportunities still exist for A-State, which played 10 televised games last season to match the school record that was initially set in 2010.

The first of three nationally-televised midweek games for A-State will be played Thur., Oct. 4 at Florida International. ESPNU will carry the ASU-FIU game, set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT.  The Red Wolves game at Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday, Oct. 23 will begin at 7 p.m. CT and air on ESPN2, while their Thursday, Nov. 8 home game against ULM will be broadcast by ESPNU and start at 6 p.m. CT.

ESPN3.com is ESPN’s live sports broadband network, giving fans a 24/7 online destination that delivers thousands of live sporting events annually. It is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection/cable subscription from an affiliated service provider, including Suddenlink in Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas.

Former Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters named executive director of FBA

Wright Waters, who retired earlier this year as commissioner of the New Orleans-based Sun Belt Conference, on Friday was named the first executive director of the Football Bowl Association according to a press release.

“Safeguarding and improving the experiences and opportunities provided to thousands of student-athletes through the bowl system will continue to be a critical focus of our association,” Steve Hogan, who also heads the efforts of the Capital One and Champs Sports bowls, said in a statement released by the FBA.

The FBA is a non-profit association representing postseason college football bowl games. Waters, who will report to the nine-person executive committee, will be responsible for the overall management of the FBA in areas including finances, administration, government relations, marketing, licensing and legal, the release said. He will also serve as the spokesperson for the organization.

Waters recently completed nearly 14 years as commissioner of the Sun Belt and has 40 years of experience in college athletics.

“Congratulations to both Wright and the Football Bowl Association,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in the release. “Given Wright’s long and genuine commitment to the collegiate model, this is an opportunity for the NCAA and the FBA to address a common interest in providing quality postseason experiences for student-athletes.   

Sun Belt football champs will win the Wright Waters Trophy

The annual winner of the Sun Belt Conference’s football regular season will take home the H. Wright Waters Trophy as the league approved the honor at its recent conference meetings in San Destin, Florida.

Waters served as Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference from 1998 through 2012 and is largely responsible for football becoming a league sponsored sport.  The Sun Belt had been a viable entity on the nation’s collegiate athletic map since its founding in 1976, but Waters made the call for a serious approach to gaining access to the Football Bowl Subdivision.  Due to his leadership, the league played its inaugural season under his watch in 2001.

“The best word to sum up Wright Waters’ tenure as Sun Belt Conference Commissioner is ‘transformational,’” said Sun Belt Conference President and Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins.   “His leadership brought football to our league, put the Sun Belt in the Football Bowl Subdivision and, consequently, we are stronger academically, athletically and financially today than at any time in history. Naming our football championship trophy after Wright Waters is an appropriate way to honor this visionary leader who changed the Sun Belt Conference for the better.”

ULL Cajuns' Game At Troy To Air On ESPN3.com

Sun Belt Conference Teams 

A game that will determine where these two stand in the SBC, will air on live tv and the third game to air.

The University of Louisiana football game at Troy on Sept. 8 will be televised by ESPN3.com as part of a six-game package with the Sun Belt Conference.  The package was released by the Sun Belt on Thursday.

ESPN3.com is the online platform that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and is accessible online via WatchESPN.com. It is currently available to approximately 70 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.

ESPN3.com is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.

This is the third UL game that will be featured on one of the ESPN platforms during the 2012 season, with the Oct. 16 game at North Texas and the Oct. 23 home game against Arkansas State both being televised on ESPN2.

Blakeney: 'Now is the time' to Improve our Stadium

Coach Larry Blakeney

Head Coach Larry Blakeney believes now is the time to do it right and improve Troy University football stadium.

Troy University has plans to construct a new facility in the north end zone of its football stadium, but fundraising for the construction is still under way, The Troy Messenger reports.

"Now is the time to do something like this," Troy head football coach Larry Blakeney told The Messenger. "We have got to make an investment in football. We are behind in the Sun Belt with that kind of facility and it's a point we need to deal with."

Veterans Memorial Stadium received an $18 million renovation when the program moved to Division I-A in 2003,according to the school's website. The renovation increased the number of seats by 12,000, bringing the capacity to 30,000.

In February, the university announced funding for the "Building Beyond Boundaries" project was roughly 84 percent complete, as $167 million of the $200 million goal had been raised. The campaign is designed to support various academic programs, scholarships, new technology and construction projects. 

Now the question is, now that the school has a well enough percentage of their fundraising goal, when will construction begin and if any of the funds will be invested in the Football Stadium? 

South Alabama receives verbal commitment from Georgia CB

South Alabama Jaguars are beginning to build it’s stock for 2013 recruiting class, another signing class that is going to be very important for the young program.

Cornerback Tiquan Lang

South Alabama picks up its first football commitment for the Class of 2013 with cornerback Tiquan Lang of Lowndes, Ga., informing the coaching staff he intends to sign with the Jaguars' program in February.

Lang, a 5-foot-9, 175-pounder, will play his senior year for the Vikings this season.

Lang was quoted to the Mobile Register "I like the whole thing that they've got going on,'' said Lang, who visited the school last weekend.  

Last season, Lang was second on the Lowndes' defense in tackles with 73, 64 of which were solo stops. He also had one blocked kick and three interceptions which he returned for a total of 115 yards but no touchdowns.  

 Last season, Lang earned all-region honors and was an honorable mention all-state selection.

Lang said he wanted to complete his recruiting process so he will be able to concentrate on having a solid season season at Lowndes, which is one of the reasons he wanted to go ahead and make his commitment early.

South Alabama ranked among top 50 FBS defenses in nation

ULM, Arkansas State and FIU also among the top 50

It’s been said for years that great defense helps a team win games. And that has proven itself over the years. The Sun Belt Conference finds one of its newest football programs ranked at the near top of polls in defense and four SBC schools placing in the top 50 FBS schools.

SI.com is reporting their ranking for the top 50 FBS programs in the nation. And South Alabama Jaguars has a great showing coming in at 12^th in the nation for total defense.

South Alabama is ranked just behind Virginia Tech and Texas two top BCS schools, and even ranked higher than BCS programs such Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and others.

Arkansas State, UL-Monroe and FIU is also among those top 50 defensive programs, ULM is ranked at 23, ASU ranked 25 and FIU at 33.

This is great for South Alabama, a new FBS new team coming into the Sun Belt Conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision this fall. SI.Com (FBS Defense Ranking)

South Alabama Ben Giles interviews with The Insider

Playing football and really good football is nothing new for a young Pensacola, FL native. 

As the 2012 football season approaches us, Ben Giles a inside linebacker at South Alabama and native of Pensacola, FL, says he is proud to be apart of the team and is confident that his team will have a winning season this 2012.

Giles a 6 foot 230lbs linebacker played high school football for Pace High School in Florida. He transferred to South Alabama from Louisana-Monroe to be close to home. Giles said he glad to be close back home.

USA Ben Giles 

South Alabama is a new young fresh fledging football program, that is about to debut their first real test on the football field in Division 1. In the past South Alabama mostly played Division 1-AA, FCS, Division II and Prep Academies. The first two season of Jaguars football, the program went un-defeated under head coach Joey Jones.

Ben will enter this season with the Jaguars as a red shirt junior. It want be a easy task for South Alabama and Ben insist he is ready. Ben says he was inspired to play football at South Alabama by just watching the program grow, and also knowing that South Alabama has a great coaching staff.

With the upcoming season fresh on the players mind, Ben believes that his team has really come together and is going to do really good this year.

However the upcoming season is not the only thing of focus for the Jaguars, the new offensive system installed by the new Offensive Coordinator Robert Matthews is also on the minds of the offensive line. Ben says he likes the new offensive system that’s now in place.  

Coming from high school to college, Ben Giles says he is grateful to have an opportunity to play on a team such as South Alabama and enjoy it. Ben wasted no time admitted that Mississippi State and NC State would be their biggest non-conference opponents this fall, and Troy and Arkansas State in conference games. This will be the first game against Mississippi State, but not NC State. The NC State (Wolfpacks) defeated South Alabama (Jaguars) last season in North Carolina. Ben says this team has learned from the last game, and that NC State is like any other opponent they will face. Ben says his team is really playing well, I asked do he think they would beat NC State this time around and send a message that South Alabama is a competitive team? Ben replied…”Yes I Do”.

As a team member Ben says he pretty comfortable about entering the Sun Belt Conference, the SBC want be new to him after transferring from ULM. The red-shirt junior don’t know how many games he think South Alabama will win this season, but he believe the Jaguars will have a winning season.

Ben doesn’t know if he will start this fall, says it all depends on summer camps and pre-season, but still has that hope.

One must say this for the South Alabama Jaguars: they have carved an incredibly unique road to the world of FBS football. Life in the Sun Belt is something to watch for the Jaguars. South Alabama has gone about building a program from scratch exactly as you'd think one should. 

South Alabama has slowly built confidence and increased its degree of difficulty with each passing year.