2012 College Football Off-Season Discussion

**Doctor Doom** · 01-12-2012, 06:01 PM

Since the 2011 college football season has ended, it's time to discuss the firings/hirings of coaches, the latest players entering the 2012 NFL Draft, news and rumors swarming around, etc.

Here's some latest news coming out of Alabama to start this thread:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama All-Americans Trent Richardson, Dont'a Hightower and Dre Kirkpatrick have declared for the NFL draft.

Richardson and Kirkpatrick announced their decisions Thursday to skip their senior seasons with the national champions. Alabama spokesman Jeff Purinton said Hightower also isn't returning.

Richardson and Kirkpatrick are both projected as potential Top 10 picks while Hightower is regarded as a potential first-rounder.

Richardson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was third in the Heisman voting. He set school single-season rushing records with 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Richardson is ranked No. 4 overall by ESPN Scouts Inc. and No. 3 on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board. He was a first-team AP All-America selection while Kirkpatrick was a second-teamer.

Kirkpatrick, a cornerback, is rated No. 8 overall by ESPN Scouts Inc. and is No. 22 on Kiper's Big Board.

The Tide lost three underclassmen to the NFL last year, but wound up beating LSU 21-0 in Monday night's Allstate BCS Championship Game.

Richardson said he made the decision Wednesday night. He went home to Pensacola, Fla., from the national championship game in New Orleans to discuss his future with family.

He said he wanted to be able to take care of his mother -- who he says has Lupus -- and two young daughters.

"This place has changed my life," Richardson said. "It really turned me from a teenager to a man, and a grown man at that."

Hightower was eligible for a fifth year of eligibility after missing most of the 2009 national championship season with a knee injury. He wasn't present at the news conference, and Saban only talked about Richardson and Kirkpatrick.

"These two young men have done a fabulous job of representing the University of Alabama, their family, themselves," Saban said.

"Both guys have done a really good job academically."

He said both players pledged to complete their degrees and are about 20 credit hours shy. Hightower, a team captain, graduated in December.

Hightower told ESPN's Joe Schad that he missed the news conference because he was "under the weather."

"I feel like I can bring a lot of physical play to an NFL team," Hightower said. "That's something I take pride in -- being physical and stopping the run."

The trio were part of two national championships during their careers, though Hightower missed the first championship game.

"These are the things that we always dreamed of," Kirkpatrick said. "Playing for two national champions is something that's unheard of.

"Coach Saban has taught me pretty much everything. I call him my father."

Outland Trophy Award-winning left tackle Barrett Jones had already announced he's returning for his senior season.

Alabama had a school-record four first-round selections last year, including underclassmenMarcell Dareus, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.

Two seniors, safety Mark Barron and linebacker Courtney Upshaw, are also considered likely first-rounders from the nation's top defense.

ESPN

No surprise that the three juniors are entering the NFL draft. They have done a great job in making a huge contribution in winning two national titles in three years. I wish them and the senior luck in the NFL.

Roll Tide Roll!

**Doctor Doom** · 01-12-2012, 09:03 PM

LSU All-American cornerback Morris Claiborne and defensive tackle Michael Brockers have decided to leave school early to enter the NFL draft, and junior receiver Russell Shepard will follow them.

Claiborne made his decision public in an announcement Thursday afternoon with coach Les Miles at LSU, while Shepard indicated on Twitter that he will not return for his senior season.

ESPN

Claiborne will have a fantastic NFL career for being a big part on the LSU team. Great year he had.

Former Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill broke a foot in training recently and will miss the Senior Bowl, according to his agent, Pat Dye.

Tannehill broke a fifth metatarsal in a passing drill, an injury that might require surgery. The Senior Bowl is Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala.

Even if he has the surgery and misses throwing at the NFL scouting combine, he may be able to throw in March, before the NFL draft.

The 23-year-old Tannehill is one of the highest-rated QB prospects in the next NFL draft. ESPN Scouts Inc. ranks him as the third-best QB prospect behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, and 28th overall of available players.

He played the first 30 games of his Aggies career almost exclusively at wide receiver but won the starting quarterback job midway through the 2010 season.

In 2011, Tannehill (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) threw for 3,744 yards with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

ESPN

That sucks for Tannehill, especially missing the Senior Bowl and missing the NFL Combine. I hope he still has a bright future ahead of him after he heals up.

**HoHo** · 01-21-2012, 10:04 PM

Just heard Joe Paterno passed away sad day for Penn State, Rip...you will missed forever!

**Belinelli** · 01-22-2012, 10:13 AM

Erm, he's not dead? He's in serious condition, and things aren't looking good, but he's not dead.

Though, everyone always said he'd either die on the field, or immediately after leaving it for good.

**HoHo** · 01-22-2012, 10:38 AM

Huge **** up by CBS and the Miami Heat Commentators, as I knew Joe Pa would fight to that bell...

**Killswitch** · 01-22-2012, 11:34 AM

Joe Paterno has died at the age of 85 after experiencing serious complications from lung-cancer treatment.The health of Paterno, who had fought the disease for two months, had grown progressively worse after he recently broke his pelvis in a fall at his home in State College, Pa."It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe Paterno passed away earlier today," said a statement from Paterno's family, released Sunday, shortly after 10 a.m. ET. "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been.

"His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."Paterno died at State College's Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he had been undergoing treatment.Paterno remained connected to a ventilator into Sunday, individuals close to Paterno's family told The Washington Post.The newspaper reported the family had communicated to the hospital his wishes not to be kept alive through extreme artificial means.

Paterno's cancer diagnosis was revealed Nov. 18, nine days after he lost his Penn State head coaching job in the fallout of sexual abuse charges against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.Jay Paterno, one of Paterno's sons, thanked fans for their support Saturday."I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight," Jay Paterno wrote on his own Twitter account.Paterno won two national championships and a Division I-record 409 games over 46 seasons at Penn State and the family has donated millions of dollars to the school.

But his legacy was clouded in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that has resulted in 52 counts of child molestation against Sandusky. Paterno had announced his retirement early on Nov. 9, but the Penn State board of trustees fired him and university president Graham Spanier about 12 hours later. That day, Paterno called the scandal "one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

"In his first public statements since the scandal broke, Paterno recently told The Washington Post that he did not know how to deal with the situation when he received a report from a graduate assistant that his former defensive coordinator was accused of abusing a boy in the showers."I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was," he told The Post in an extensive two-day interview at his home. "So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn't work out that way.

"Police on Saturday night barricaded off the block where Paterno lives, and a police car was stationed about 50 yards from his home. A light was on in the living room but there was no activity inside. No one was outside, other than reporters and photographers stationed there.About 200 students and townspeople gathered in State College at a statue of Paterno just outside a gate at Beaver Stadium.Some brought candles, while others held up their smart phones to take photos of the scene. The mood was somber, with no chanting or shouting.Jay Paterno tweeted, "Drove by students at the Joe statue. Just told my Dad about all the love & support--inspiring him."

Source: ESPN

Sad news. He will be missed. RIP Joe.

**HoHo** · 01-22-2012, 11:45 AM

Man I expect thousands of people including former players of his, will be there, hopefully fans of Penn State get to say good bye to this great man.

**Doctor Doom** · 01-22-2012, 09:24 PM

Great coach with great success from the 46 seasons as Penn State's head coach. There will never be another coach that's dedicated in being the head coach for the same school for almost half of a century. Thank you JoePa for the enduring coaching career you have done at Penn State University.

**Doctor Doom** · 03-12-2012, 11:20 PM

The punishments have finally been handed down to North Carolina.

The NCAA has placed North Carolina's football program on three years' probation and banned it from the 2012 postseason, the governing body announced Monday.The school already had imposed several penalties, including vacating all 16 wins for 2008 and 2009, reducing nine scholarships over the next three academic years and putting the program on two years of probation.

But the NCAA didn't stop at UNC's self-imposed penalties, finding that the school was responsible for violations including academic fraud, impermissible agent benefits, participation by ineligible players and a failure to monitor the football program.

"My only regret is for the current players, especially the seniors, who will not have the opportunity to compete for an ACC championship and go through the experience of a bowl game in 2012," new Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said in a prepared statement. "We will do all we can to make every game this year a special experience for our seniors and fans."

ESPN