ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The big winner last weekend was LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson, who was the third overall selection in the NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

	Tim Larson/Icon SMI
	Tyson Jackson's stock skyrocketed in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Jackson played on an LSU defensive line that underachieved in a big way last season, but it obviously didn't hurt his stock. He was one of the few up front who played well last season. He also had great workouts and is big enough and quick enough to play in a lot of different schemes.

Everybody thought Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith was going to be the big loser after his agent-related suspension at the Sugar Bowl, his nightmarish NFL combine experience and some of the boneheaded decisions he made.

But I said at the time and was confident in saying so that there was no way he would slip out of the top 10, and he went sixth overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. Smith will play a long time in the NFL, and it could be that the lessons learned these last few months will end up making him a better pro.

There were a few eyebrows raised when Alabama running back Glen Coffee decided to come out early. But he was coming off an outstanding season, and he saw it as an opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. He was right. He went in the third round to the San Francisco 49ers and was the sixth running back selected.

As is the case every year, there were a handful of players who should have stayed in school.

Vanderbilt cornerback D.J. Moore was a terrific college player and made an impact wherever he lined up last season. But slow 40-yard dash times pushed him down to the fourth round. I still think he'll end up being a really good pro. He has great instincts, great leaping ability and plays his best against the best competition. But to give up a final season of eligibility and go in the fourth round is a downer.

South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook came out early and went undrafted. His former teammate, South Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, gave up his final season and went in the seventh round to the Carolina Panthers.

Talk about getting bad advice and/or putting yourself in a position academically where you have no choice but to turn pro.

And what about the case of LSU defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois? He looked to be one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the SEC entering last season after playing lights out in the BCS National Championship Game.

But he slumbered through a disappointing junior season last year, decided to come out anyway and was taken in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers.

At the other end of the spectrum is Tennessee running back Arian Foster. He received a second-round grade from the NFL draft advisory committee last year, but elected to stay in school. He suffered through a disappointing senior season, injured his hamstring in the Senior Bowl and went undrafted.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• Arkansas is shuffling offensive linemen around this spring to get the best five on the field.

• On the same day Florida coach Urban Meyer said there was a chance defensive tackle Torrey Davis could return to the team, Davis was arrested Wednesday for violating his probation.

• Columnist Ray Melick of The Birmingham News writes that it's laughable that Auburn coach Gene Chizik is closing practices to protect his players from added pressure.

• Former South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook apologizes to fans for his failure in the classroom last season.

• Georgia adds a third late signee to its 2009 class, a junior college kicker the Bulldogs hope can handle their kickoff duties.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

With assistant coaches coming and going the way they have the last month or so at South Carolina, it's been dizzying just keeping up with who's in and who's out.

That said, the Gamecocks' recruiting efforts have rolled right along, which is a tribute to new recruiting coordinator Shane Beamer, who was promoted to that position after David Reaves left for Tennessee.

One of South Carolina's most pressing needs is defensive back help, both at cornerback and safety. The Gamecocks lost cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and safety Emanuel Cook early to the NFL draft and weren't anticipating losing either one of those players this time a year ago. Senior cornerbacks Carlos Thomas and Stoney Woodson are also gone.

Stephon Gilmore and Devonte Holloman, high school teammates from Rock Hill, S.C., are both big-time defensive back prospects who are already enrolled in school and will go through spring practice. Gilmore will compete right away for a starting cornerback job, while Holloman is a safety prospect.

When Steve Spurrier's offenses have been at their best, they've always included an explosive running back who could run away from defenses. The Gamecocks didn't have that last season, but hope Jarvis Giles of Tampa, Fla., can fill that need. Giles, who had initially committed to Tennessee before Phillip Fulmer was fired, is one of six signees already enrolled in school. And like Gilmore and Holliman, he will also be able to participate in spring practice.

There's still a big need at quarterback, especially with Chris Smelley leaving the program to play baseball at Alabama. The Gamecocks aren't going to sign a quarterback in this class just to be signing one, but are looking hard to see what's out there.

One of the big remaining targets for South Carolina is highly touted receiver Alshon Jeffery of St. Matthews, S.C. Jeffery is committed to Southern California, but is still taking visits. He's rated among the Top 15 receiver prospects in the country by ESPN's Scouts Inc.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson knows a little something about drawing up a plan to defend good running backs.

Some of the guys he's faced in the last two years include Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis, Knowshon Moreno, Charles Scott, C.J. Spiller, James Davis, Steve Slaton, Percy Harvin and Kevin Smith.

Sounds like a who's who of running backs.

The next guy on the list is Iowa's Shonn Greene, who won this year's Doak Walker Award as the top running back in college football.

Johnson said Thursday the Gamecocks were tweaking their scheme for the Outback Bowl and would go with a traditional 4-3 alignment. They used a 4-2-5 scheme most of this season, although the extra defensive back was more like a smaller linebacker.

The guy playing that position, junior Darian Stewart, will shift back to safety to take Emanuel Cook's spot. Cook, one of South Carolina's top tacklers, is ineligible for the bowl game

Senior Marvin Sapp will step in at one of the outside linebacker spots along with Eric Norwood. Jasper Brinkley will play in the middle.

"We're just going to play three linebackers, a 4-3 scheme, and go on with it," Johnson said. "That will probably be good for Iowa because they're so big and strong."

The 5-foot-11, 235-pound Greene rushed for 1,729 yards this season and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. He rushed for 100 or more yards in every game.

Only two players rushed for 100 yards against the Gamecocks this season. One of those was Harvin, and he had an 80-yard run for a touchdown. The other was North Carolina State's Andre Brown, who had 101 yards in the opener.

A year ago, as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Johnson came up with a plan that held Davis, the nation's leading rusher, to 70 yards below his average in the Bulldogs' Liberty Bowl win over Central Florida.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Checking out the SEC headlines:

• Florida's defense is looking forward to the challenge of going against Oklahoma's high-scoring offense.
• Is safety Emanuel Cook the only South Carolina player who won't be academically eligible for the bowl game?
• Columnist Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News paints an interesting picture of who was and who wasn't at Gene Chizik's press conference and what it all means.
• Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Larry Smith could see extensive playing time in the bowl game.
• Georgia's players will turn into big SEC fans during the bowl games, although some of the Bulldogs weren't overly convincing that they'll be doing the Gator Chomp during the FedEx BCS National Championship Game.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It's that time of year again when semester grades start rolling in and key players begin falling by the wayside.

South Carolina safety Emanuel Cook is one of the latest, as he failed to pass the required six credit hours last semester. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier confirmed following practice Tuesday that Cook was ineligible to play in the Outback Bowl.

The six-hour rule was put in to keep players heading to the NFL from shutting it down academically all fall semester and still being able to play in the postseason.

South Carolina coaches have felt most of the season that Cook, a junior, was planning on declaring for the NFL draft. So the fact that he didn't pass the six hours wasn't a huge surprise. 

Cook was the Gamecocks' best tackler in the secondary and like an extra linebacker back there. Darian Stewart will likely shift from outside linebacker to strong safety in South Carolina's 4-2-5 scheme against Iowa in the Outback Bowl.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

This might be one of the best years in a long time for defensive backs in the SEC.

Don't believe so?

Take a look at the 13 semifinalists named this week for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes annually to the nation's top defensive back.

The SEC has five of the 13 players on that list. The Big Ten is next with three players.

Here's the other thing: All five players from the SEC are underclassmen, and all five will almost certainly be around again next season.

On the list are Tennessee sophomore safety Eric Berry, Vanderbilt junior cornerback D.J. Moore, Georgia junior cornerback Asher Allen, Kentucky junior cornerback Trevard Lindley and South Carolina junior safety Emanuel Cook.

Berry leads the SEC with six interceptions. Lindley leads the league with 13 passes defended and also has four interceptions. Moore is one of the best multi-purpose players in the country. In addition to playing cornerback, he's also played receiver and returned punts and kickoffs this season.

Cook leads all SEC defensive backs with 72 total tackles, and Allen is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the league.

You could put together a pretty fair secondary with those five players.