TFP - Come with me, I'll show you where the Dogwood's bloom - it's true.
Top of the Pail
A.JC Recruiting: Georgia is at 28 football commitments for 2013, and is expecting to ink 34 this recruiting cycle.Has Mark Richt - formerly an outspoken "anti-oversigning" zealot - now joined the ranks of the heathen oversigners? It certainly looks like that way, doesn't it? After years of calling the kettles black, one of the pots seems to have decided that circumstances warrant joining up with the kettles after all. But I guess we're supposed to have the good grace not to call him on it, thank-you-very-much. Please note that I am not accusing Georgia or Richt of wrongdoing - not in the least. In fact, I'm quite confident everything he is doing is within the letter of the law; likewise, I am not denigrating the UGA football program. Nevertheless, Richt and a lot of UGA folks seemed happy over the last few years to thrown stones at Spurrier and vent at the University of South Carolina for doing the exact thing that now seems to be happening in Athens - and that was before the SEC's 25 soft cap and NCAA's 28 signing limit - both of which I seem to remember Richt vocally supporting. Now that UGA seems like it's not even going to pay lip service to either the 25 or 28 signing class limits, haven't Richt and Co. become oversigning hypocrites? Was their handrwringing just a way to engage in negative recruiting, by claiming a moral superiority over competing programs? Go figure, the AJC doesn't seem to notice or care - despite being one of the worst oversigning scolds this side of Oversigning.com. Oh - the humanity of it all. Will poor boys who counted on a UGA scholly be told there's no room in Athens? Will humble walk-ons who just received a full ride now have their grants-in-aid ruthlessly pulled after only a year? Will dedicated student-athletes approaching graduation be summarily cut to make room for the next-best-thing? When did an anti-Oversigning titan like Mark Richt develop such feet of clay?
Gamecock Football
Gamecock Anthem: Adam Garrett profiles Jerrell Adams - A star in the making; plus, David Porter writes about Tuesday's practice - Practice report: Corner not decided yet. I'm glad Jimmy Legree's getting a second chance, as long as it doesn't result in the same ending.
Anderson Independent-Mail: USC secondary preps for life without Auguste.
More links after The Jump!
Post & Courier: With South Carolina’s Akeem Auguste hurt, Jimmy Legree gets another chance to start. Looks like the P&C is experimenting with an increasingly more aggressive paywall. Let me know in the comments if it's worth the trouble of linking to this site anymore. The good news for Darryl Slater fans is that the P&C shares his stories with the Orangeburg Times & Democrat and the Aiken Standard - but the bad news is that it's usually a day or two late.
Athlon: UGA-USC makes the list of College Football's Top 25 Games of 2012, but what about our tilts with Florida and Clemson?
ESPN SEC: Ed Aschoff says Shaq Roland is one of the Freshman of influence: Eastern Division.
Palmetto Recruiting: OL Na'Ty Rodgers of Pomfret, MD has USC as his number 1. Three of the top services (Rivals, ESPN and 247) have Rodgers as a 4 star; in any event, his offer sheet is testimony that he is a big-time prospect. I suspect he'll be the last OL we take for the 2013 cycle.
Bleacher Report: Great headline - South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt: Why America Wants the Gamecocks to Lose This Game.
Saturday Down South: SEC coaches’ preseason stock watch.
Mr. SEC: Here’s How The SEC QB Situations Stack Up.
The Rubber Chickens: Gamecock Football 2012 Best Case/Worst Case – Wins and Losses.
Garnet Report: 2001: The Best Entrance in College Football and Photo Gallery: Farmer’s Market Construction Update. It looks awesome. Once the trees and ground cover grows in, it will be a showpiece.
Leftover Hotdog: L.J. posts a handy Pre-Season Fan Reminder List.
Football Recruiting
247 Sports: Ranking the Top 247 Recruits of 2013. OLB Larenz Bryant of Charlotte, at # 52, is our top guy so far. Clemson's splashy commitment from Robert Nkemdiche is at the top of the list, but so far that's it for them in the top echelon. What is eye-popping, however, is how Southern Cal is killing it in the top 25. The Trojans have got this new facility to brag about , too. Once the Southern Cal deathstar becomes fully operational ... (i.e., totally unshackled from probation) - watch out SEC, err, I mean Alderaan! (Ed. - does that make Kiffin Vader... or Grand Moff Tarkin?) Good question!
Gamecock Hoops
Sports Talk Radio: LaShay Pge expects to be enrolling at USC Wednesday. Bonus - SportsTalk Rewind 8.21.12: USC Legend BJ McKie. Did you know that Frank Martin is recruiting B.J.'s son, 6'4" 2G Justin McKie of Irmo? Read: USC's Martin offers Gamecock legacy.
Rock Hill Herald: Gamecocks backup guard Tina Roy has knee surgery.. With all our losses in the backcourt to graduation, this can't make Dawn Staley feel good about guard depth.