Premature commitment to UT

I read today that 13-year-old Evan Berry committed to play football at the University of Tennessee in ... five years. Seriously, a 13-year-old has committed to something? I know 40-year-olds who still can't commit.

OK. Maybe Berry is a little different. He is the younger brother of Tennessee safety Eric Berry. Evan, who has yet to step foot on a high school campus, is ready to follow the path already paved by his brother and father, who also played for the Vols. Evan was actually quoted as saying, "I want to play in the secondary and I want to play for coach (Monte) Kiffin."

Hey Evan, Monte is like a 103. Do you really think he'll be around in five years? I'm not even sure Our Boy Lane Kiffin will be around in five years.

Look, I'm sure Evan is talented. He has the bloodlines. But is there any good reason to make this announcement now? He's already a target for high school teammates and opponents who can't appreciate the arrogance of making this announcement. Who knows, he may not warrant a scholarship to UT.

Congratulations Evan Berry. I hope this works out for you. Just be careful about any other premature commitments in the future.

UPDATE: Here is a YouTube video of Evan and his fraternal brother.

65 days and counting ...

On a hot, sunny summer day, I had to look. It's just 65 days until the first college football game of 2009. Best game of the day is Oregon at Boise State at 10:15 p.m. (EST) on Sept. 3. As an appetizer make sure to watch South Carolina at N.C. State at 7 p.m.

Just 65 more days.

Much ado about summer newspaper filler

Using a ridiculously long list of factors, The Tuscaloosa News came up with its annual list of college football's top programs. The ratings include recent results, historical results, recruiting, attendance, grades and everything in between. Apparently, there's not a lot of sports news to write about in Tuscaloosa in the summer.

Still, it's interesting reading for us college football nuts.

The top three?
1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. 'Bama

Naturally, the SEC is rated the top conference and SEC schools dominate the high end of the list.

Phil Knight U. at it again

Ah, Oregon, isn't it a bit strange that the University known for hippies, birkenstocks, weed and naked Ultimate is at the forefront of cutting edge, futuristic football unis?

Next year, I say they go for The Waterboy uniforms.

Stoops gets raise, doesn't earn it

Let me see if I have this right.

Lose five consecutive BCS bowl games, including two title games and an embarrassing loss to West Virginia in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. Manipulate the BCS system by running up the score in your final six games to impress voters so you can get the BCS bid over a much better Texas team that you lost to earlier in the season.

It appears that's enough for the University of Oklahoma execs to give the overrated one (Bob Stoops) a hefty raise. According to a number of stories circulating on the web today, OU may pay Stoops about $5 million a year starting in 2011.

I can't argue that Stoops isn't a great coach. His record is 109-24 since joining the Sooners in 1999 and has won a national title (actually Miami was the best team that season). But in these tough economic times and with academics on many campuses being slashed does someone who can't coach in the big game deserve this?

The crushing, abusive media of Iowa make Kirk Ferentz' life a living hell

Kirk Ferentz can't believe his kid made the paper... again.

Apparently Ferentz' enormous salary doesn't include editorial control of the local media who dare report on his son's collegiate exploits.

Yeah, well, sorry Coach. It's not fair. Neither is your out of whack contract.

FREE MAURICE! Eventually. When his sentence is over. Until then...

It's been three or four months since Maurice Clarett once again (sigh) made headlines with this blog he "writes" from prison.

Naturally it was time for ol' Mo to break out the media mojo and request a pardon from Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. Except then he decided not to. Clarett wants out to spread the word that turns out acting like a douchebag entitled athlete and having an unhealthy attachment to Grey Goose are bad things. Who knew? And who will tell our children if we don't let Mo talk to junior high assemblies across the state.

Excuse my skepticism. This guy gets on my nerves.