Is Johnny Manziel Worth the Headache?

It almost feels like you can't go a week without Johnny Manziel being in the news, who has went from college football golden boy to red headed step child in less than a year. It started with his twitter rant about an alleged parking incident, then skipping practices and meetings at the Manning Passing Academy, then he was kicked out of a frat party at the University of Texas. All those headlines were, let's be completely honest, rather comical. But none of those previous indiscretions had any real effect on Manziel and Texas A&M, outside of their good name being ran through the mud by many writers and media outlets. However, the most recent Manziel related story is slightly more serious.

It has been reported that Manziel allegedly accepted money from an autograph broker to sign autographs this past January. Which is a direct violation of NCAA rules, and despite how foolish many people think this NCAA 'violation' is, it is in fact an NCAA violation. And you have to think that Manziel must have known that accepting any money (and it has been reported he may have accepted a 5 figure payout for his signature) was against the rules and he could very well be punished for it. Which only further questions his maturity and to a lesser extent his character.

Some feel that Manziel's rise and fall are both solely on the media and the overblown coverage, both good and bad, of his every move. Which yes, is partially to blame, but that doesn't mean Johnny Football isn't at fault as well. It's not like he was some unknown walk on that worked his way into the lineup. Manziel was one of the highest rated prospects in the 2011 recruiting class, the hype was major before he even had graduated from high school. I mean, they don't go handing out nicknames like Johnny Football to anyone.

Some also say that his partying ways are typical of many college students. Which I do know for a fact as being true. But many of those students are not on scholarship to play football at a university. The average college student is not expected to represent a university or a football program. Which, whether we like it or not, is expected of each and every athlete that accepts a scholarship. If he wanted to just go to school and party and not be in the news for every little thing he should not have accepted the scholarship and just paid his own way through school.

Part of me is starting to think that Manziel actually enjoys being in the spotlight like this. He knows every thing he does will end up on ESPN and his ego feeds off it. Which really brings up the question, is Manziel worth the trouble anymore? Now, don't get me wrong, on the field Johnny Football is one of the most entertaining players in the country. His rise to national prominence sure was a sight to behold last season. However with the seemingly never ending off the field incidents one really has to wonder if his on the field excellence is worth sitting through the never ending off the field nonsense? Luckily, I am not one who needs to make the decision, but if these issues continue, and Manziel doesn't declare early for the NFL Draft (which according to NCAA and NFL rules, he would be eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft), head coach Kevin Sumlin has to start giving some consideration to suspending his starting quarterback, if not flat out kick him off the team. As extreme as that may sound, it may very well be the only way to show Manziel that his immaturity won't get him very far in the world outside of college football.

- Josh Gamez
@itsjoshgamez

What Michael Dyer will bring to the Table for Louisville

Earlier this week it was reported by USA Today that former Auburn tailback Michael Dyer, who hasn't played football since the 2011 season (where he helped lead Auburn to their first national title in over 50 years) after a few off the field issues has accepted a scholarship at Lousiville after graduating with an associates degree from Arkansas Baptist College. He will be a junior and will have 2 years of NCAA eligibility remaining.

Per NCAA rules, since he isn't technically enrolled in school yet, he cannot comment on the situation, but those close to Dyer, including president of the Arkansas college he earned his Associates Degree from and mentor to Dyer Fitz Hill, say he has learned his lessons from past mistakes and is excited to resume his playing career after getting kicked out of Auburn and then Arkansas State because of failed drug tests and at Arkansas State the possession of a handgun, unlawfully. In the wake of the recent Aaron Hernandez murder investigation and arrest that all but took over sports media a few months ago, many schools and coaches may have been scared off of pursuing Dyer's services. Louisville, Western Kentucky and Troy ended up being the schools that Dyer had the most interested, and ended up choosing Louisville.

Dyer, when he is on the field is nothing short of dynamic. Dyer ran for over 2,000 yards as a freshmen and sophomore at Auburn and was named The Offensive MVP of the 2011 BCS National Championship game. If Dyer can return to form you really have to think that the Lousiville BCS train can be more than just something you can sweep under the rug. Dyer has 1,200 yard rushing potential and could easily score double digit touchdowns for the Cardinals in 2013. There's no reason to talk up how great Teddy Bridgewater is, but if Dyer plays like he did at Auburn, the Louisville offense can be flat out prolific. With a potent passer and a workhorse back, the sky could very well be the limit in 2013.

- Josh Gamez
@itsjoshgamez
josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

Pac-12 Initiates New Contact Rule & Other Health Initiatives

Last week at the Pac-12 media day, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced a new policy regarding football contact.  While the initiative still needs to be approved by the conference’s athletic directors, the policy goes beyond the NCAA’s set rules and regulations regarding contact.

The policy, agreed upon by the Pac-12’s football coaches includes the following per the Pac-12 website:

- Limits teams to two full-contact practices per week during the regular season

- Limits the contact during two-a-days during preseason

- Limits the number of full-contact practices per week in the spring to two

Whether an athlete plays football at the Pop Warner or professional level, organizations are going above and beyond to make the game safer and what the Pac-12 did may be norm for other college divisions in the future.  Pac-12 athletic directors will meet this month to officially make these rules conference policy.

Scott also announced the Pac-12’s partnership with USA Football and the Head’s Up Football program.  The conference and its coaches will record public service announcements regarding making the game of football safer.

Finally, the Pac-12 confirmed their work on the Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Research Program and Head Trauma Task Force.  In 2014, the conference will hold a summit with researchers and doctors to commit a $3.5 million dollar grant to go towards projects at Pac-12 schools for improving the health and well being of the schools’ students-athletes.

- Hayley Elwood

@hayleyelwood

hayley.projectcfb@gmail.com

What Mark Stoops and His Recruiting will do for Kentucky

Back in November, the powers that be the University of Kentucky turned heads when they announced the hiring of Mark Stoops as the head coach of the struggling football program. For the first time in a while, the talk in Lexington wasn't about the school's basketball team.

For so many years, the Wildcats' football team had taken a backseat to the illustrious basketball team. To many outside the town, it seemed the school's fanbase had accepted the fact that this college was a basketball college, with football filling in the months until basketball season began. Stoops has already made it clear that he intends to change the image of the school as a single-sport program. If he has his way, the Wildcats will force themselves into conversations about conference championships and beyond.

After Kentucky went 2-10 last season and ranking just tenth in defense within the conference, the decision was made to part ways with coach Joker Phillips. The Wildcats never seemed to make it out of the cellar with Phillips at the helm, and as we all know, a coach that doesn't produce doesn't keep his job very long. Under Phillips, it seemed Kentucky never made any major waves on the recruiting trail, always playing it safe. In doing so, the team rarely even sniffed at mediocrity.

Now as the Stoops era begins, the recruiting trail going into Lexington has warmed up. Stoops immediately assembled a staff versed in the tricky art of recruiting. So far, they've assembled the 29th ranked recruiting class according to Rivals, something Phillips never accomplished in his time at Kentucky. Under Phillips, the Wildcats never had a recruiting class ranked better than 50th.

Stoops' attention so far has been mainly on building a defense, with his prize recruit so far being defensive end Jason Hatcher. The real surprise about Hatcher is that he played at Trinity High School. Anyone want to guess where Trinity is located? Yep, Louisville.

Trinity has been known for some time as a pipeline school to the Wildcats' in-state rival Louisville, although Hatcher had actually been a long-time commit to USC, until Stoops made a play and convinced him to change his commitment.

Thanks to Stoops' name and reputation for building defenses, the Wildcats now have the opportunity to go after high-caliber recruits, instead of settling on players other schools passed on. The question now will be once the shine of the new hiring wears off, can Stoops recruit consistently enough to put Kentucky in the thick of those serious discussions within the conference?

The answer to that, at least for the upcoming season and maybe the next, remains to be seen. Considering Stoops is starting with a virtual clean slate would indicate he will need a couple seasons to establish decent chemistry among his players.

Optimism within the program and among its fanbase is running high, maybe higher than the school has seen in many years; and considering the team's record in the past few seasons, they can only go one direction. Everyone knows once you've hit rock bottom, the only way out of the hole is up.

To give you an idea of my expectations of Stoops as he steps into the rather large shoes of a head coach in the SEC, it may be best to let him have the 2013 season as a period to acclimate, and possibly 2014 as well. But then, once he's settled in, the recruits should continue to show growing interest in Kentucky. If I really wanted to ruffle feathers, I could say his recruiting will rival a certain coach in the West Division who loves to show off his rings to the recruits he visits. The real fun will come if and when Stoops beats him on the recruiting trail, and then, ultimately, on the field. After all, this is the SEC, where anything can happen on any given Saturday.

- Kevin Hicks

@kevinhicks77

kevin.projectcfb@gmail.com