UGA dismisses another safety

You can’t make this up – Georgia has dismissed another secondary player. This time, it’s rising sophomore Tray Matthews. With Josh Harvey-Clemons and Shaq Wiggins off the team, the Bulldogs’ secondary was already looking a little thin, and then Mark Richt hit the Bulldog Nation with this bomb. “We are trying to make room for guys who want to do things right“, Richt said. Matthews refused to mention why he’d been dismissed, saying that he “couldn’t talk about it right now”. He also tweeted that he could end up playing for Auburn or Louisville. Matthews had been arrested for three counts of theft in the off-season, in a charge relating to double-dipping on scholarship checks, Macon.com has reported. Matthews, who

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Pre-Iron Bowl? 4-star Safety/RB opts for Auburn, not Alabama

4-star running back/safety Kerryon Johnson has committed to Auburn, nixing hot competition from Alabama and Florida State. Johnson, who plays at Madison Academy, AL, said in a press conference: “The Auburn coaches are good Christian guys who will get on you, but it’s about love…..We talked about family.” Johnson also had offers from Clemson and LSU, and had visited Alabama, Florida State and Auburn previously. He’s ranked the 2nd-best player in the State of Alabama behind defensive tackle Daron Payne….who’s also committed to Auburn. Highlights of Johnson’s offensive and defensive highlights can be seen here.

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Richt’s reaction to Georgia arrests

Georgia coach Mark Richt has said that there will be “consequences” for the four players who were arrested for double-dipping on their stipend checks on Monday night. “Obviously we had some guys that did foolish things, and there will be consequences”, he said in a press conference after Georgia’s Spring Practice on Tuesday, even though safety Tray Matthews, defensive linemen Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach and wide receiver Uriah LeMay all practiced on Tuesday. The four were charged with ‘theft by deception’ for cashing in stipend checks from the Georgia Athletic Department, totalling about $786 (or $71 each). “You don’t want to act like it didn’t happen. We are going to address everything head on”, he said in a press

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Four UGA players arrested

Four Georgia players were arrested on Monday night for theft, the Athens Banner-Herald has reported. The four arrested are safety Tray Matthews, defensive linemen Jonathan Taylor and James DeLoach and wide receiver Uriah LeMay. The four were arrested and charged with ‘theft by deception’. Here’s the definition of what the crime means on Reference.com: “There are a number of crimes in the state of Georgia that fall under the definition of theft by deception. Generally speaking, theft by deception occurs when a person uses deceit to acquire property, money or services from another individual, group of individuals or a business. A person may commit theft by deception intentionally or on accident, and the law and subsequent penalties are applied to cases

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Florida starter to transfer

This news isn’t exactly hot off the press, but Florida safety Cody Riggs is going to leave The Swamp when he graduates in the spring. It is not known where the player is going to be transferring. Florida coach Will Muschamp said: “Cody Riggs and his parents came to me and he’s going to finish up in May and transfer to another school to finish his last year of eligibility. He wanted a fresh start. And I appreciate his contributions to Florida.” Riggs is aiming to play more at cornerback than at safety to give himself more of a chance at a NFL career. Last season Riggs, a junior, was about the only Florida starter not to be injured, starting

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No Title? No problem! Bama’s No.1 on National Signing Day

No Championship? No problem for Nick Saban. The Alabama Crimson Tide was AGAIN the No.1 recruiting team on National Signing Day, with a tremendous signing day haul. It included: Three of the ESPN 300’s top 10 players (OT Cameron Robinson, DE Da’Shawn Hand, CB Tony Brown), and the No.10 and No.12 players in the nation, too (ATH Bo Scarborough, and CB Marlon Humphrey). They also stunningly picked up OLB Rashaan Evans from Auburn High school – who had also been rated highly, despite many thinking – including Auburn itself– that Evans was a cert to play in Jordan-Hare. The move seemed to have annoyed Evans’ mother, who seemed clearly worried about what people in the area would think. Saban described

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Saban fires secondary coach

Nick Saban has fired secondary coach Greg Brown after a season which saw Alabama struggle in the backfield. Alabama, who gave up 180.3 yards per game, struggled in their final games against Auburn and Oklahoma. In the Auburn game they gave up a game-winning touchdown at the end of the game, and against Oklahoma, they were consistently troubled by Sooners QB Trevor Knight. The responsibility for coaching the defensive backs has fallen to current defensive co-ordinator Kirby Smart, who also gave up his linebacking coach position to Kevin Steele, who comes from the director of personnel position.

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NCAA reinstates Alabama DB star after two-week suspension

The NCAA has reinstated Alabama safety HaHa Clinton-Dix after he was suspended for two games by Alabama coach Nick Saban for a violation. Clinton-Dix was suspended for, according to the CBS News Report: “Alabama originally suspended Clinton-Dix after it discovered he received an impermissible benefit. Clinton-Dix had borrowed between $100 and $300 from assistant strength coach Corey Harris, who has since been placed on administrative leave.” He’ll be available to play Arkansas on Saturday. If Alabama needs him. BOTTOM LINE: The news from the NCAA shores up Alabama’s defense in time for the Arkansas game….and more importantly the LSU game coming up soon. Great news for Roll Tide Nation.

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HaHa Clinton-Dix suspension: What we know

Right, for those of you not in SEC world, Alabama junior starting safety HaHa Clinton-Dix was suspended indefinitely from the Crimson Tide yesterday, for a violation of team rules. Alabama said that it has also suspended an assistant strength coach Corey Harris, who was connected with the Clinton-Dix suspension. So here’s what we know: 1) Clinton-Dix has been suspended indefinitely. We don’t know if that means he’s out for just Alabama’s game against Georgia State, or out for the rest of the season. Somewhere, Nick Saban’s thanking God that the Texas A&M road game wasn’t later in the season. 2) According to the Tuscaloosa News, Harris provided money to Clinton-Dix. But: “UA’s internal investigation has found no indication that Clinton-Dix

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Defensive back returns for Kentucky

Safety Dakotah Tyler has returned to the Kentucky football team, the school said in a press release. Tyler, who can also play on special teams, didn’t play on the 2011-2 side because of ‘personal reasons’, the release said, and no further reason was given. In his 2010 season, the school noted, Tyler had 13 tackles, one pass break-up, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble, and he had one start. BOTTOM LINE: The news is great for Kentucky, who need all the help they can get if they are to emerge from the SEC East basement. Tyler’s return is great for the school, who have additional talent in seniors Martavius Neloms and Mikie Benton, and sophomores Ashely Lowery and Glenn Faulkner all coming back.

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