The Daily Feed: April 23, 2012

The Daily Gamecock: Martin lands four commitments in 24 hours - I guess it depends on how you divide up the hours! Some good reporting on what Coach Martin looks for in a recruit. Also - Softball suffers third SEC series sweep in a row against Volunteers. We're limping towards the conclusion of the softball season.

Palmetto Recruiting: Basketball recruit Sheldon Jeter is on the verge of a decision. According to his father, he was going to sign with Darrin Horn, but now it's apparently between us and Vanderbilt. Will he be our fifth guy? Or will he be wearing Black and Gold next season?

Post & Courier: Gamecocks win 8th straight SEC game.

Gamecock Central: Diamond Extra: Tanner wins another dice roll.

WPDE: Grand Stranders help Gamecocks to sweep over Auburn. Wilmywood and I were remarking this weekend on what a great job Ray Tanner has done in blending in-state and out-of-state recruiting; here is another example.

College Baseball Daily: CBD's Brian Foley gives his 2012 NCAA Regional Projections (April 19th). He thinks USC will garner the #8 national seed - what do you think of his projected draw for a Columbia Regional?

Sportstalkgolive: Here’s the one where ESPN tells you Melvin Ingram played at Clemson. I can sympathize - one time I wrote that the Tide's Courtney Upshaw was at Clemson, too. That one still stings.

Bleacher Report: South Carolina Football: 5 Most Important Post-Spring Dates - posted by Flounder.

The Sporting News: Our annual post-spring ranking of the top 25 players in college football. I think TSN ranks Marcus Lattimore way too low, and compounds the mistake by not including Jadeveon Clowney. All in all, eight SEC'ers make the cut and - go figure - we get to see each of 'em next season.

Palm Beach Post: If Miami Dolphins take defensive end with top pick, Melvin Ingram and Quinton Coples are two possibilities. Melvin to South Beach?

Denver Post: Broncos star Von Miller likes potential of Gamecocks' Melvin Ingram. Some high praise.

North Jersey.com: NFL Draft: South Carolina’s Mr. Versatile. They like him for the Big Apple.

Kitsap (WA) Sun: The Seahawks will take Melvin Ingram with the 12th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday. Say hi to Sidney if you're out there, Melvin.

The Rubber Chickens: TRC Unleashed, Episode 22 is in the Books.

WJBF.com (Augusta): Former NFL, USC Gamecocks Star Surprises Young Burn Patient . Great story.

Deseret News: What should the NCAA do about player transfers? It looks like the transfer-question going to be the next big battleground between (a) those who think that an athletic scholarship once offered becomes an automatic four year meal ticket that a university owes to an athlete (without a reciprocal commitment by the athlete of course) versus (b) those who think scholarships should continue to be year-to-year arrangements, terminable at will by either party, and let the recruiting market punish coaches who abuse/misuse their players. Having written it that way, there is probably little doubt which camp I gravitate toward. The more I ponder the question, however, the more I'm convinced that the pro-four year/anti-oversigners have paternalistic motivations that they would never, ever apply with equal rigor to academic scholarships (which can - and are routinely - yoked annually for sub-par performance). If a kid can lose his Lottery Scholarship or a traditional academic free ride for a bad academic semester/year, then why not a ball player? Is it any less traumatic because it's an academic scholarship? Or is the paternalism that I perceive underlying these debates tantamount to the soft bigotry of low expectations?