ESPN College Football

Time for some links.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes that the late Derrick Thomas was a major snub for the College Football Hall of Fame.
• Missouri dismisses safety Tavon Bolden ... again.
• Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and new athletic director Dave Hart laud new Hall of Famer Phillip Fulmer.
• Alabama coach Nick Saban says wide receiver DeAndrew White is "doing fine" after last month's late-night altercation outside of a Tuscaloosa, Ala., bar.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt talks space for the 2013 class.
• Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Auburn has a chance to be much better in 2012.
• Florida coach Will Muschamp talks Texas A&M and his quarterback situation.
• Florida defensive tackle Leon Orr was cited for knowingly driving with a suspended license.

ATLANTA -- Don't be fooled by Alabama coach Nick Saban's love for pounding opposing defenses with a powerful running game. The man would like to air it out a little more.

But when you have bruising running backs like Glen Coffee, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, it's tough not to just hand them the rock and watch them hurt people.

However, those backs are gone, and while heir to the running back throne Eddie Lacy appears more than capable of running down defenders' throats, Saban now has more of the pieces in place to get a little more vertical in his attack on defenses.

"I feel like you gotta do on offense what you have the players to do," Saban said in Atlanta Thursday during his second stop on the Crimson Caravan. "Now … we have a quarterback that I think is very capable, as long as he makes good decisions and judgments in terms of how he distributes the ball and doesn't turn it over."

That quarterback is redshirt junior AJ McCarron, who was named offensive MVP of the Allstate BCS National Championship Game and finished the 2011 season ranking third in the SEC in passing.

McCarron has all the tools to be a real star in the SEC, but he rarely looked flashy in his first year as a starter. He managed the game like his coach asked him to. There were times where he let it rip (the national title game rings a bell and so does the second half of the Tennessee game), but for the most part his job was to limit mistakes and lead the offense.

But with a year under his belt and a little more maturity (on and off the field), McCarron could be in store for a much more pass-friendly fall. Still, Saban wants his talented signal caller to refrain from trying to be a hero; something that hurt him at times last season.

"I still think that AJ has got to stay in the structure of the offense in terms of taking what the defense gives," Saban said. "You can't force plays. You can't try to make plays that aren't there. You gotta have patience and I think that's going to be the key to him being successful.

"He can make throws, it's just continuing to make the right ones."

Yeldon's broken hand
Many were impressed by true freshman running back T.J. Yeldon after he totaled 179 yards (88 rushing, 91 receiving), including a 50-yard touchdown reception, in Alabama's spring game.

What might be more impressive is that he did that with a broken hand, an injury he suffered after falling early in spring practice.

"He practiced all spring with that cast on," Saban said.

Saban added that the injury was "very similar" to the one receiver Julio Jones suffered two years ago.

Duron Carter update
Nothing has really changed for the enigmatic wide receiver who transferred to Alabama last April. He was suspended for all of spring practice and Saban said Thursday that Carter has done nothing to get out of his coach's doghouse.

Saban wasn't sure if Carter would return to the team this fall or anytime soon.

"That's up to Duron Carter," he said. "It's really not up to me. If he does what he's supposed to do, he may have an opportunity to get back out there. If he doesn't, he won't. I guess you need to ask him that."

Saban visits DeAndrew White
Before Saban hopped on a plane to see President Obama at the White House, he visited wide receiver DeAndrew White, who was hospitalized after an altercation early Thursday.

Saban wasn't sure how White was involved in the fight, but said that he didn't expect any "long-term issues" from White's injury.

He also said that more players were out when Carter was, but added that the players didn't break rules because Alabama doesn't have a curfew for its players. He was, however, upset that they were out late.

"I'm always disappointed when anything happens to a player after 12 o'clock," he said. "And the players know that."

Trophy case solved
The culprit behind Alabama's shattered 2011 BCS Championship trophy has come clean. Carson Tinker's father, Carleton Tinker, was the last person to touch the Waterford crystal football before it fell to the floor.

"I'm not really sure how the thing fell off," Carleton Tinker told ESPN's Ivan Maisel.

For more on Carleton Tinker's tragic trophy story, read here.

Alabama redshirt sophomore wide receiver DeAndrew White was one of two victims hospitalized overnight after sustaining injuries during an early Thursday altercation on The Strip in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a source close to the situation confirmed to the Tuscaloosa Bureau.

The source told the Tuscaloosa Bureau that White wasn't seriously injured, but did sustain a concussion.

There's no word yet on how White was involved in the fight, but university police arrested two men for firing handguns in the air during the fight, "allegedly to disperse the crowd," Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit commander Loyd Baker said.

White, who caught 14 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns, had a pretty productive spring and is expected to contribute even more this fall in Alabama's offense. Alabama hopes he can develop into a more reliable deep threat with his speed and explosiveness.

Taking a spin around the SEC with some links.

• Tennessee linebacker Herman Lathers is happy to be back to full speed.
• Wide receiver Justin Hunter is excited to be back at practice with the Vols.
• Jarvis Jones says Georgia's defense is trying to be the best in the country this fall.
• Georgia's Blake Sailors could find some time at cornerback for the Bulldogs.
• Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is ready to put his offense up against SEC defenses.
• Ole Miss' Jamal Mosley is showing his versatility at practice.
• Senquez Golson could be up for an audition this week.
• Alabama wide receiver DeAndrew White has been slowed by a hamstring injury.
• Angelo Blackmon has a chance to impress on Auburn's injured defensive line.
• There were differing opinions on the physicality during Auburn's Monday practice.
• Ross Rasner is enjoying his new role as a full-time safety.
• True freshman wide receiver Latroy Pittman is making an early impression at Florida's spring practices.

Schedule: Alabama opens spring practice on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET and will then take the next week off for spring break before resuming practice on March 19. The A-Day spring game is scheduled for April 14 at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised live by CSS.

What’s new: Doug Nussmeier comes over from Washington as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He replaces Jim McElwain, who left for the head coaching job at Colorado State. Lance Thompson returns for his second stint on the Alabama staff as outside linebackers coach. He replaces Sal Sunseri, who left to take the Tennessee defensive coordinator’s job.

On the mend: Running back Eddie Lacy (turf toe) and offensive tackle Arie Kouandjio (knee) will miss the spring while recovering from surgeries. Linebacker C.J. Mosley has been cleared to practice after dislocating his hip in the BCS National Championship Game, but will be limited in contact situations.

On the move: Redshirt freshman Brent Calloway will spend the spring at weak side linebacker after playing running back last season. Barrett Jones, who won the Outland Trophy last season as the Crimson Tide’s left tackle, will get some work at center. If Cyrus Kouandjio is as good as Alabama thinks he is and takes care of business at left tackle, Jones may end up staying at center. Defensive end Jesse Williams is likely to get a look at nose guard. Finding a nose guard will be a priority for the Tide with Josh Chapman departing.

Key battle: The Crimson Tide will be looking for playmakers at receiver. Junior Kenny Bell is the leading returning pass-catcher, and he caught 17 passes last season. Alabama will also look for more consistency from sophomore DeAndrew White, who’s shown flashes of big-play ability. Junior Kevin Norwood played well in the BCS National Championship Game, and highly regarded freshmen Chris Black and Omari Cooper graduated high school early and will go through spring practice. Duron Carter’s status is up in the air. He remains suspended. Quarterback AJ McCarron likes the potential of this group. The Tide may look to throw it down the field a little more next season, but they need a go-to guy or guys to emerge.

New faces: The Crimson Tide have eight early enrollees, counting junior college players, who will be participating in spring practice. Travell Dixon and Deion Belue are a pair of junior college cornerbacks who will compete for playing time right away. The 6-1, 191-pound Dixon was rated among the top junior college cornerbacks in the country last year. Running back T.J. Yeldon headlines the true freshmen who will be out there this spring for the Tide. He was ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 running back prospect in the country last year. In addition to Yeldon, Black and Cooper, linebackers Dillon Lee and Ryan Anderson were also ESPNU 150 members, while Alphonse Taylor is a newcomer that will get a look at nose guard.

Breaking out: Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower made a ton of plays at linebacker last season for Alabama, and they both lined up as pass-rushers on third down. Sophomore Adrian Hubbard is a guy who could replace Upshaw in that “Jack” linebacker role. At 6-6 and 240 pounds, Hubbard has the tools to be a very good pass-rusher. The same goes for sophomore Xzavier Dickson.

Don’t forget about: With Lacy out for the spring, it will be interesting to see who emerges at running back. Junior Jalston Fowler, sophomore Blake Sims and redshirt freshman Dee Hart will get plenty of reps this spring. And so will Yeldon, who has that ideal mix of size and speed. Lacy’s poised to be the go-to back in the fall, but the No. 2 job is wide open. And the No. 2 back at Alabama has been a big part of the offense the past few seasons.

All eyes on: The secondary was the most improved part of Alabama’s team last season. The Crimson Tide were talented and disciplined back there. That’s after mental errors plagued them the year before thanks mostly to inexperience. With safety Mark Barron and cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie moving on, there will be some key spots to fill in the fall. Junior Dee Milliner returns at one cornerback, and don’t be surprised if he develops into an All-SEC player. Senior safety Robert Lester is the veteran of the group. It’s a big spring for junior cornerback John Fulton, and the addition of both Dixon and Belue will make for some serious competition at cornerback. Sophomore Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is the front-runner at the other safety, but Alabama routinely plays five and six defensive backs. Sophomore Vinnie Sunseri and juniors Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry will all be vying to crack that rotation.

There won’t be many questions at quarterback heading into next season for Alabama, not with the way AJ McCarron played in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

Granted, he’ll have a new offensive coordinator in Doug Nussmeier, but McCarron has all the physical tools, and now the experience, to be one of the SEC’s top players in 2012.

The questions will revolve around who he’s going to throw the ball to with Alabama’s top four pass-catchers from a year ago gone.

Kevin Norwood and Kenny Bell will both be juniors next season, and Norwood, in particular, made a strong case in the national championship game that he can be a go-to guy next season. He led the Crimson Tide with 78 receiving yards on four catches and made an acrobatic grab over LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu.

What Alabama was missing this past season was that big, physical receiver who could go over the middle and keep the chains moving on key third-down plays. Obviously, Julio Jones was that guy in the past, and he was also an explosive big-play threat.

It’s premature to think that anybody is ready to fill his shoes, but the wild card next season is Duron Carter. He wasn’t eligible to play this season and redshirted, but wowed more than once in practice with his ability to go get the football. The 6-4, 210-pound Carter figures to make an immediate impact next season as long as there are no more snags with his eligibility. This will undoubtedly be a big spring for him.

Two other guys poised to make big moves next season are DeAndrew White and Christion Jones, both of whom will be sophomores.

White has great speed and quickness, while Jones filled in for Marquis Maze during the championship game on punt returns after Maze was injured and showcased his burst in the open field. The Alabama coaches feel that both White and Jones have big upsides.

This signing class features three highly-rated receiver prospects, and two are already enrolled in school and will go through spring practice — Chris Black of Jacksonville, Fla., and Amari Cooper of Miami. Both are ESPNU 150 prospects and ranked among the top seven receiver prospects in the country by ESPN.

The other guy the Alabama coaches can’t wait to get on campus is Eddie Williams of Panama City, Fla. The 6-4, 210-pound Williams is ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 athlete in the country. He could play a number of different positions in college, but it sounds like receiver is where he’ll land at Alabama.

So while nobody is returning on Alabama’s roster that caught more than 17 passes or two touchdowns in 2011, the Crimson Tide aren’t exactly hurting at receiver.

Experience could be an issue, but talent won’t.

In keeping with our freshmen theme, here's a look at the 10 best redshirt freshmen this season in the SEC.

They're listed alphabetically:

Michael Bennett, WR, Georgia: Bennett tied for second on Georgia’s team with five touchdown catches and had 31 catches overall.

Chris Boyd, WR, Vanderbilt: He used his 6-4, 205-pound frame to haul in a team-leading seven touchdown catches for the Commodores.

A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina: After a productive offseason in the weight room, Cann emerged this season as a fixture at left guard for the Gamecocks.

Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina: On loan from the Gamecocks’ basketball team, Ellington was second on the football team with 707 all-purpose yards.

Kaleb Eulls, DE, Mississippi State: A big part of the Bulldogs’ rotation up front, Eulls collected three tackles for loss, including a sack.

Chaz Green, OT, Florida: A starter in eight games, Green played both left tackle and right tackle for the Gators.

DeAndrew White, WR, Alabama: The best is yet to come for the speedy White, who caught 14 passes this season, including a pair of touchdowns.

Jawara White, LB, Auburn: White was one of several young linebackers seeing action for the Tigers. He had 23 total tackles, including 2.5 for loss.

Ralph Williams, LB, Ole Miss: Part of an extremely young Ole Miss defense, Williams was seventh on the team with 49 total tackles, including four for loss.

Brad Wing, P, LSU: One of the top punters in the country, Wing averaged 44.1 yards per kick and had 23 of his 50 punts downed inside the 20. He was the difference in LSU’s 9-6 overtime win against Alabama.

Alabama defensive end Nick Gentry and receiver DeAndrew White are serving one-game suspensions for the Georgia Southern game for violating team rules.

The Crimson Tide lead 17-7 midway through the second quarter. Georgia Southern scored on an 82-yard touchdown run. One of Alabama's touchdowns came on a blocked field goal that Dre Kirkpatrick returned 55 yards for a score.

There certainly wasn't any letdown from Alabama after an emotional win at Florida.

The Tide blasted Vanderbilt out of Tuscaloosa with a 34-0 win Saturday. Alabama held the Commodores to just eight first downs, one third-down conversion on 10 attempts and 190 total yards.

Alabama also didn't need its dominating running game to put Vandy away. Alabama let quarterback AJ McCarron toss the ball a little more, as the sophomore threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns.

The Tide used Saturday to spread the ball around more in the passing game. Marquis Maze grabbed nine catches for 93 yards, Darius Hanks caught five balls for 60 yards and DeAndrew White caught three passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns. His 5-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter was truly one for the highlight reel as well.

There certainly weren't a handful of people who picked the tremendously unlikely upset here and Alabama played like it was supposed to. This team didn't head in so overconfident that it made sloppy mistakes (Alabama had zero turnovers) and the defense played like it was on a mission.

This is exactly how Alabama should play week in and week out. The days are ticking down to the monumental matchup between Alabama and LSU on Nov. 5, and keeping the focus until then won't be easy, but both teams have done quite well with it thus far.

Alabama coach Nick Saban isn't much for being shy.

He's pretty matter-of-fact and when it came to talking about his young wide receivers after the season-opener against Kent State he didn't really hold back his frustration about their play.

"I don't think they played fast all the time," Saban said.

"I think there was a lot of anxiety. I don't think we had very good ball security. I don't think we looked balls in. I think we played in a hurry -- cut the routes a little bit short, don't do it exactly right, which sort of affects the timing of what you're trying to do and makes it a little bit more difficult for everybody."

Despite some issues in the receiving game, Alabama's quarterbacks still passed for 299 yards on 21 completions in the 48-7 win over the Golden Flashes. Eight of those catches and 118 of those yards came from senior Marquis Maze. He also had Alabama's lone receiving touchdown.

Outside of Maze, six receivers/tight ends combined for nine more catches. Four of them and 44 yards came from freshman DeAndrew White, who earned a lot of praise from his coaches and teammates during the preseason. With his speed, White has what it takes to be a deep threat for the Tide. He's also an elusive runner, which should continue to make him one of the Tide's top receiving options going forward.

Running backs Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson combined for the rest of the 92 yards, with Lacy grabbing 76 yards and Richardson getting 16.

Alabama will be able to get away with dumping passes off to its running backs from time to time, but in order for this offense to take the next step with its young quarterbacks in AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims, Tide receivers will have to step their game up.

"A lot of players are going to learn a lot from that game, and I think it will help their performance in the future," Saban said.

What will help the future is that heralded junior college transfer and former Ohio State receiver Duron Carter is expected to play this weekend. Carter finally joined the team last week after he was held out because of transcript issues.

Once Carter, the son of NFL great Cris Carter, gets into the proper football shape, he should provide a big spark in the passing game. Check out some of his highlights circulating around the Internet when you get a chance. He has "big-play" written all over him.

And things should improve after Week 2 when senior Darius Hanks returns. Hanks had to sit out the first two games because he registered five plays in one game as a redshirt freshman.

The passing game wasn't the prettiest to look at, but it will get better.

Barrett Jones will open at left offensive tackle, and redshirt freshman DeAndrew White is a starter at receiver, according to the depth chart released Monday by Alabama.

White moves into a starting role at receiver with senior Darius Hanks unavailable for the first two games. In accordance with NCAA rules, Hanks has to sit out the first two games against Kent State and Penn State in order to be eligible the remainder of this season. Hanks played in one game in 2007.

Jones, a junior, was an All-SEC selection at right guard last season for the Crimson Tide, but has worked at both guard spots, center and left tackle this preseason. There's still a chance that Jones will go back to guard if true freshman Cyrus Kouandjio continues to develop at left tackle. It's probably just a matter of time before the 6-6, 322-pound Kouandjio cracks the starting lineup. He's been very impressive in preseason camp, and even Jones has said that Kouandjio is one of the most talented players he's seen at this level.

Sophomore guard Anthony Steen has also been one of Alabama's most improved players and is listed as a starter at right guard. Alabama coach Nick Saban said he feels like the Tide have six or seven players up front that he considers starters. Jones is also listed at left guard on the depth chart alongside Chance Warmack. Saban said Jones would probably end up playing both tackle and guard Saturday in the opener against Kent State and that Kouandjio would play some at left tackle.

AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims are bracketed as the No. 1 quarterbacks, and both will play. That's going to be the plan for at least the first few weeks of the season.

On defense, junior college newcomer Jesse Williams is listed as the starter at one of the defensive end spots. Nico Johnson and C.J. Mosley are bracketed as co-starters at weak side linebacker.

Some of the best news for the Crimson Tide on Monday involved touted junior college receiver Duron Carter. Saban said it looks like the transcript issues that had prevented Carter from joining the team earlier this preseason have been resolved. Carter was on the practice field Monday with the rest of his Alabama teammates.

Saban said it was unlikely that Carter would play in the opener and that Alabama would use this week and the next to get him up to speed. Alabama travels to Penn State the second week of the season. The 6-4, 210-pound Carter, the son of former NFL receiver Cris Carter, is expected to make an immediate impact in the Tide's passing game. He started his career at Ohio State before leaving school and going to junior college.

The Texas A&M hoopla continues to grow every day, but here's a chance for you to check out teams already in the SEC.

• Talented defensive back Senquez Golson turns down the Boston Red Sox to play football at Ole Miss this fall.
• With depth issues at wide receiver, Vanderbilt's Wesley Tate is moving from running back to the slot.
• Redshirt freshman wide receiver DeAndrew White is causing quite a stir at Alabama's practices and has the talent to be the Tide's next go-to receiver.
• Mississippi State is toying with the idea of playing safety Johnthan Banks on offense.
• After an up-and-down freshman season, Florida linebacker/defensive end Ronald Powell is looking to be a leader for the Gators.
• A lot is being expected from wide receivers Trovon Reed and DeAngelo Benton at Auburn, and the coaches are hoping they can withstand the riggers of a full season.
• Even with Arkansas' crowded backfield, Marquel Wade is making a good impression during preseason camp.
• Tennessee wants to get more push from its defensive tackles this fall.
• Center Dan Wenger is hoping his concussions are in the past and is focused on his second chance at Florida.
• LSU is still searching for someone to step up at middle linebacker, as Kevin Minter and Karnell Hatcher battle it out.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt says Ray Drew was "very fortunate" his scooter accident wasn't worse, but this isn't the first time scooters have been a problem for the Bulldogs.

A pair of SEC players -- Alabama quarterback Phillip Sims and LSU defensive lineman Ego Ferguson -- made ESPN colleague Bruce Feldman’s national list of impact redshirt freshmen for next season.

I’ve come up with 12 more redshirt freshmen in the SEC to keep an eye on for 2011. They’re listed alphabetically:

Michael Bennett, WR, Georgia: With A.J. Green and Kris Durham departing, the Bulldogs are looking for more playmakers at receiver, and the 6-3, 202-pound Bennett is a terrific athlete with the ability to go up and get the football.

Ferlando Bohanna, LB, Mississippi State: All three starting linebackers from a year ago are gone, including the Bulldogs’ two tackle leaders, Chris White and K.J. Wright. The 6-foot, 235-pound Bohanna has the size and speed to step in and be a starter.

A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina: Steve Spurrier talked like Cann might have a chance to play as a true freshman. The Gamecocks are losing four senior offensive linemen who made starts last season, which means Cann will get his shot in 2011.

Ed Christian, OG, Auburn: Four spots are up for grabs in the Tigers’ offensive with the four senior starters departing. Christian may end up battling another redshirt freshman, Eric Mack, for one of the starting guard jobs.

Chris Dunkley, WR, Florida: The Gators are looking for anybody on the perimeter who can make plays, and Dunkley showed a lot of promise last season and would have played as a true freshman had he not been saddled with hamstring problems.

Brandon Gainer, TB, Kentucky: The weight room has been good to Gainer, who’s bulked up to more than 215 pounds. He was pushing to play last season, but was slowed by injury. With Derrick Locke gone, the Wildcats need Gainer to make a move next season.

Victor Hampton, CB, South Carolina: Ellis Johnson, South Carolina’s assistant coach for the defense, is putting out an APB for anybody who can help improve the Gamecocks’ pass coverage. Hampton had some issues off the field before he got to South Carolina, but is plenty talented.

Chris Martin, LB, Florida: After originally signing with California, the 6-4, 240-pound Martin decided to transfer to Florida and was required to sit out and redshirt last season. He was a terror on the Gators’ scout team and will be a big addition to their defense in 2011.

Trovon Reed, WR, Auburn: A knee injury that followed him from high school was the only thing that kept Reed off the field last season. He drew rave reviews during the preseason when he did practice and is a perfect fit for Gus Malzahn’s offense.

Vincent Sanders, WR, Ole Miss: One of the Rebels’ highest profile signees a year ago, the 6-3, 180-pound Sanders will be counted on to add some pop to the deep passing game. Ole Miss needs its receivers to make more plays down the field next season, especially with Markeith Summers gone.

Ronnie Vinson, CB, LSU: An injury sidelined Vinson after playing in the first three games last season, and LSU is listing him as a redshirt freshman in 2011. The Tigers have a bundle of young talent in their secondary, and Vinson is right there at the top.

DeAndrew White, WR, Alabama: In offseason workouts a year ago, White impressed several of his older teammates. With Julio Jones turning pro, the Crimson Tide will be looking for help for Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks, and White is ready to provide that help.