Report: Hugh Freeze had more than 200 calls with booster accused of wrongdoing

Former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze had a lot of phone conversations with an Ole Miss booster alleged to have given unauthorized recruiting benefits. According to phone records obtained by USA Today, Freeze and restaurant owner Lee Harris communicated via Freeze’s school-issued phone “at least” 200 times, though the report notes that the content of their conversations is unknown. Harris is named in the NCAA’s notice of allegations against the school for allegedly giving Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis cash payments and free food and drink during Lewis’ recruitment.

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  Freeze made at least 200 phone calls to a disassociated booster: Report

  New Orleans Times-Picayune
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  Phone records show Hugh Freeze had over 200 calls with Ole Miss booster in NCAA case

  NBC Sports: CollegeFootballTalk

Post-Scrimmage Notebook: Nothing finalized on offensive line

Andrew Thomas is still in the picture for a starting job on the offensive line. Although Georgia’s starting offensive line appears to be taking shape, head coach Kirby Smart isn’t ready to start talking in absolutes. “We’re going to continue the competition,” Smart said after Saturday’s second scrimmage at Sanford Stadium.

Indiana freshman DB Bryant Fitzgerald ruled a non-qualifier after compliance error

A key member of Indiana’s recruiting class won’t be able to play for the Hoosiers this season as a result of a serious compliance gaff at the school. Freshman defensive back Bryant Fitzgerald was ruled by the NCAA to be a non-qualifier according to a statement released by the program and, as a result, will now be unable to play or practice for the team. A waiver was requested but both it and the appeal were denied. At the heart of the matter seems to be the IU compliance office incorrectly advising Fitzgerald what classes to take in order to be eligible right away at the school in the eyes of the NCAA. As the above statement and a later one from athletic director Fred Glass make clear, this was

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  Compliance Office Mistake Costs Bryant Fitzgerald His Eligibility In 2017

  The Hoosier
• Indiana U. apologizes to freshman DB Bryant Fitzgerald for eligibility mistake

  ABC News

Johnson talks about Mills dismissal and moving on to the next guy

ATLANTA-- Georgia Tech dismissed star B-back Dedrick Mills and head coach Paul Johnson spoke with the media about his embattled former running back and the plans to replace his production as the leading returner runner from 2016.

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  Will Muschamp Comments Following Scrimmage

  gamecocksonline.com
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  Paul Johnson on B-backs: ‘We’ve got guys that can play’

  Atlanta Journal-Constitution

N.C. State apologizes after mascot throws shade at UNC over NCAA investigation

The North Carolina academic fraud scandal continued its seemingly infinite crawl toward a resolution this week, as school officials and coaches appeared before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in Nashville for two days of arguments over whether some of the school’s athletic programs used phony classes to keep their athletes eligible during an 18-year period, as the NCAA claimed following a long investigation. The hearings were closed to the public so we don’t know specifically what went on in that hotel conference room. Nevertheless, Mr. Wuf, mascot of rival North Carolina State, made sure to note the occasion. According to Joe Giglio of the News & Observer, Mr. Wuf’s tweet stayed up for about

Oregon State's backup quarterbacks are practicing patience

The life of being a backup quarterback in college football is never easy. You often put in as much or more work than the starting quarterback, and often times, that hard work is never seen by fans on gameday.

Texas coach Tom Herman: If Longhorns played tomorrow, 'Shane Buechele would start' at QB

Even with Buechele starting all 12 games as a true freshman in 2016 and throwing for nearly 3,000 yards, Herman has been reluctant to confirm his status in the competition with early enrollee freshman Sam Ehlinger. For now, Herman seems satisfied with his quarterbacks if not exactly effusive. "We're not dynamic there. We're not Vince Young. We're not Braxton Miller," Herman said. "But we're good enough to win with." Of course, Herman is setting a high bar. Young won a national championship and finished second in the Heisman voting at Texas. And Miller was a two-time Big Ten MVP at Ohio State before a shoulder injury. The early returns have also shown a work in progress for the offense. In three

Minnesota will unofficially have two starting quarterbacks to open the season

Conor Rhoda is one of two Minnesota QBs who can be considered the starter for the first game of the season. Gophers’ coach P.J. Fleck said Thursday that he’ll have two quarterbacks he can call the “starter” for the team’s game vs. Buffalo on Aug. 31. Both Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda will see significant playing time.

IU Coaches Seeking Scheme, Position Battle Clarity In Second Scrimmage

Indiana's second preseason scrimmage takes place today with its season-opener vs. No. 2 Ohio State kicking off in 12 days. For the Hoosiers coaching staff, the closed intrasquad contest will be used not only to further assess offensive and defensive scheme but key position battles as well. "We continue to evaluate scheme, we continue to evaluate players," IU associate head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike DeBord said.

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  Questions answered? Peterson excited about BUCK position

  Gamecock Central
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  Ohio State RB Mike Weber will be ready for season opener vs. Indiana

  The Draft Wire

Ahmmon Richards - Miami WR | ACC Top 30

Ahmmon Richards burst onto the scene with 49 receptions and 934 receiving yards as a true freshman for the Miami Hurricanes. Those 934 yards set a Hurricanes' freshmen record and were the most of any first-year player in the nation. Richards is an athletic freak of nature and is the #13 player on the ACC Digital Network's Top 30 players for the 2017 college football season.

Adjusting on the fly: The entrance of OT Chasz Wright

Backup offensive tackle Chasz Wright was finding his spot along the Beaver Stadium sideline, waiting for his turn to take the field on the PAT team. Wright started the final five games at right tackle for Penn State in 2016. Points-after-touchdowns happened with regularity in the month before Penn State hosted Iowa in early November, as its offense was just hitting its stride scoring 153 points in the previous four games.

Notre Dame unveils alternate uniforms honoring Knute Rockne’s legacy

As you may know, I’m hardly a fan of the alternate uniform craze.  These, though, I can very easily get behind. Notre Dame on Friday released images of new uniforms the Fighting Irish will wear for their Nov. 18 game against Navy.  From helmet to shoes, the new duds will serve as a head-to-toe tribute to the legendary Knute Rockne. The players will all have the name “ROCKNE” emblazoned on the backs of their jerseys, while the helmets replicate the leather ones of Rockne’s era.  The cleats also will pay homage to the era in which Rockne, also a former player at the school, coached the Fighting Irish to five national championships from 1918-1930.  In those 13 seasons, the Irish lost just 12 games

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  Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says he was 'absent professor' last year

  USA Today
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  Notre Dame to wear uniforms honoring Knute Rockne vs. Navy

  Dr. Saturday

Oklahoma sorting out replacements for RBs Perine, Mixon

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — In most cases, replacing two record-holders at one position would be cause for concern. Oklahoma feels as if it is reloading. The Sooners need to fill the slots left open when running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon chose to leave early for the NFL. Perine left Oklahoma as the school's all-time rushing leader, and he's climbing the depth chart with the Washington Redskins. Mixon, who plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, was the Sooners' leading rusher last season and broke DeMarco Murray's record for all-purpose yards in a season. The top two candidates to step in appear to be Rodney Anderson and Abdul Adams, but freshman Trey Sermon and junior college transfer Marcelias Sutton

Zaire still in the middle of quarterback battle

Malik Zaire is a fifth-year senior who has undergone multiple quarterback competitions in his collegiate career. Now, as a member of the Florida Gators, Zaire is hoping to win a close battle currently raging on between himself, Luke Del Rio and Feleipe Franks. Zaire spoke to the media on Friday, and talked about the impact that his arrival has had on this quarterback group.

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  The Florida Gators' case for QB Luke Del Rio

  Tampa Bay Times
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  Florida Gators' Malik Zaire: 'This is everything to me'

  Tampa Bay Times

The Wolf Diamonds 3-2-1: 2 starters named, Duffey returns, Cantrell commits

The 3-2-1 is brought to you by our friends over at Wolf Diamonds. Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a past scrimmage hosted in Midland, Texas. As the season gets closer and closer, let’s take a look at three headlines, two questions and one prediction from what we learned this wee about Texas Tech football.

Notebook: Friend Moves From Tight End To Tackle To Aid Offensive Line Depth

During a conversation about personnel overall between IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and head coach Tom Allen, redshirt senior tight end Danny Friend's name came up. "He's a great person and he's been working real hard, but it's going to take him a little bit of time to get back," DeBord said Friday. In joining the offensive line, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Friend adds depth to a position group that could use it with junior right tackle Brandon Knight still limited due to an undisclosed injury.

Graf: UK's path to an improved D-Line and ranking the O-Lines in their path

During the 2016 football campaign, the Cats took a major step forward. Vast improvements to the offensive line and at the edge rusher positions largely powered that forward motion for the program. In order for the Cats to have a chance to make it to Atlanta this year, improvement on the defensive line is beyond crucial.

Dienhart: 5 things I learned at Wisconsin fall practice

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is the defending Big Ten West champ. And the Badgers have a good chance to repeat in 2017. The roster is loaded with talent, including what look to be strong lines on both sides of the ball. A big key: The development of sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook. This was one of the best-looking squads I have seen on the tour. Here are five things I learned at Wisconsin practice. 1. The offensive line is in vintage Wisconsin form. And this is the case even with Ryan Ramczyk gone a year early to the NFL. That wasn’t the case in recent years, as injury, youth and a lack of depth hurt the o-line. The left side of the line is filled with talent and beef, with Michael Deiter

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  Dienhart: What I'll be watching at Wisconsin fall practice

  Big Ten Network
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  Football tour notebook: Fun takes from Wisconsin fall practice

  Big Ten Network

Miami Is Halfway to Becoming a Team That Deserves the Old Miami's Hype

Let’s start with this: Miami is not “back” yet. It seems anytime there is optimism about the Canes, folks are too quick to jump the gun. As I’ve said before, Miami isn’t back until Miami wins another national title.