The Daily Feed: January 17, 2012

Gamecock Football

GoGamecocks.com: USC completes staff with RBs coach hire. Josh Kendall's story on Everette Sands.

Gamecock Central: Scott Hood assesses USC's new coaching hires. Read it all - Scott has some really great analysis on Robinson, Botkin and Sands.

Cocky Country: Katie posts her Gamecock Football Roundup.

Bleacher Report: Alex Roberts writes South Carolina Gamecocks Finally Have the Tools to Win the SEC.

Kornblut: Vandy commitment interested in USC visit. The recruitment of DE Josh Dawson of Tucker, Georgia has taken an interesting turn; Dawson says that he is still committed to Vanderbilt, but reading the AJC recruiting blog, you get the sense Dawson is seriously considering other options, including UGA and USC. Scout and Rivals rate him as a 4 star, while ESPN and 247 score him as a high 3. Having missed out on both Ty McCord and Jonathan Bullard, it would be a coup for USC to land a tall (6'4" / 220-225) defensive end like Dawson; with two scholarships to give, does our pursuit of Dawson signify that we're thinking one of either Gaffney WR Quinshard Davis or McDonough, GA defensive back Chis Moody is not going to break our way? Speaking of Quinshard, we learn that he just finished visiting Wake Forest and is still planning on official visits to Tennessee and North Carolina.

Brad Senkiw: South Carolina has the luxury of a plethora of fine rushers for 2012.

Orangeburg Times-Democrat: Baseball's Tanner tells football audience of message to USC football team.

Gamecock Basketball

The Rubber Chickens: Gman warns USC Basketball Fans: Be Careful What You Wish For, with a trip down memory lane for those of us who thought it was a good idea to replace Davey Odom. A dose of strong medicine. Take it like a man.

ESPN's Andy Katz: Check out who's the cellar-dweller in Andy's latest SEC power rankings.

Gamecock Baseball and Olympic Sports

Orangeburg Times-Democrat: Five questions with Ray Tanner (video) .

GoGamecocks: USC diver Forcucci finding her push.

Check out the Loose Feed after The Jump!

NBC Sports: UW's Doug Nussmeier expected to land Tide’s coordinator job. The Sabanator moves to fill his t.o. with all the single-mindedness of a field marshal mopping up a battlefield.

Al.com: By contrast, the Chiz plays the role of spymaster - holding his cards so close to his chest that reporters are forced to resort to crystal ball gazing and Kremlinology in hopes of gleaning any idea who will be the next Auburn o.c. - Looking for Auburn offensive coordinator clues.

Track 'Em Tigers: Speaking of the Loveliest Village on the Plains, we're told that Barrett Trotter is 'Retiring' from Auburn. The hero of the 2011 Peach Bowl has already graduated so he can transfer to a FBS school that offers a graduate program which Aubie doesn't, or drop down to FCS. I like Trotter's moxy and if he wanted to come to USC (which he hasn't expressed an interest in - but if he did) then were it up to me I would find a place for him - backing up Connor, of course. Doubt he'd be interested; looks like he's got the NFL on his mind. Good luck, Barrett. We don't hold the last minute T.D. pass to Lutzenkirchen that broke our back (and cost us the SEC East crown) against you. Much.

WBRC Fox 6: Viral video shows Bama fan tormenting LSU fan. Tormenting isn't the right word - try CSC3 on for size.

Kansas City Star: SEC includes KC in possible hoops tourney rotation. You have got to be kidding. Please tell me this a joke. Why not have it in Cincinnati or Miami or San Antonio if you're going to hold a conference tournament on the far-flung marches of SEC country? Do they want anyone besides Big Blue and Mizzou fans to show up?

Vols Extra: Derek Dooley: Roster numbers have made signing class 'moving target'. Well, that's one way to put it, though I wonder if the target's actually on him.

AJC Recruiting: Justin Taylor looking at options after being told he can’t sign with Alabama until 2013. Interestingly, Taylor's high school coach and legal guardian is none other than USC's own Stanley Pritchett (one of the heroes of the '95 Carquest Bowl) who is, shall we say, none-too-happy with his former Gamecock teammate Chris Rumph, now an assistant at Bama.

Sporting News: There’s work to do in the SEC, from Alabama to Vanderbilt.

The Oklahoman: Brent Venables must consider what's beyond the ambience of Clemson. Our old pal Travis Haney gives a bit of friendly advice to Coach Venables; he is also the first sportswriter ever to use the words ambience and Clemson in the same sentence. See if you can digest Travis' paeans to Tiger Town without throwing up in your mouth just a little, though. Did he know us at all? Or is he laying it on thick with his tongue planted firmly in cheek?