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ATLANTA — Albany State’s road to its sixth SIAC football title in the past decade will be a little rockier than normal. Yes, the Rams were named preseason favorites to repeat as conference champions at Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon at Fox Sports Grill in Atlanta.
But there is a new factor in this year’s conference — a championship game.
In the past, the team with the best regular-season conference record was crowned as the SIAC champ. This year, the 10 teams are divided into two five-team divisions — East and West — and the winner of each division will face off in the inaugural SIAC Championship game Nov. 12.
Teams will play a seven-game conference slate, including all four divisional opponents and three rotating non-divisional opponents. Every two years, one non-divisional opponent will rotate on, and off, each team’s schedule over a 10-year period, and each team will play its non-divisional opponents an equal number of times.
Baton Rouge, LA - Southern fans have already penciled in the Nov. 26 football game on the Jaguars’ schedule as an automatic victory. The problem is that Grambling State fans have done the same thing.
It’s not because they view each other as a slouch. Rather, it reflects the deep level of passion and pride behind the State Farm Bayou Classic, now in its 38th year. There are certainly no shortage of story lines for this year’s game. Second-year Southern coach Stump Mitchell’s team is seeking to rebound from a 2-9 season that included a 38-17 loss to Grambling.
Grambling interim athletic director Aaron James is no stranger to the New Orleans area, having played in high school at Cohen, then collegiately with the Tigers, and in the NBA with the New Orleans Jazz.
“This is a great rivalry and a family affair,” James said. “It’s the Black College Super Bowl. The reason why we are out here this early is that, since Hurricane Katrina, the attendance has dropped, and we want to build it back up to where it use to be. We’ve got to get the 65,000-75,000 people back in the Superdome.”
ALBANY, GA — Uyl Joyner knows exactly what his bread and butter is going to be this year.
After all, Albany State certainly feasted on it last season. Star quarterback and reigning SIAC MVP Stanley Jennings is back for his senior season, and Joyner — the Rams’ new offensive coordinator — is ready to hit the ground running.
Joyner and the rest of the ASU coaching staff spoke to alumni, fans and media at Friday’s 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception at Eula Lovett Hall, and excitement floated around the room every time Jennings’ name was brought up.
“We are looking for big things out of the quarterback play this year,” said Joyner, who will also remain the quarterbacks coach — a position he has held for the past two seasons. “That’s the one solid area we do have on offense. Stanley is ready to go, and I am ready to run with him.”
Jennings, a 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy nominee and...
Lorman, MS - Former Piney Woods School point guard Xavian Rimmer, who earned second-team All-State honors this past season from The Clarion-Ledger, has signed to play basketball at Alcorn.
“Alcorn is really coming along with a great new coach in Coach (Luther) Riley,” said Rimmer. “It’s a great program that I would like to be a part of. I think we’re going to make things happen there.”
The 6-foot-2 Rimmer averaged 14.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds, leading the Tornadoes to the Class 2A state title. He signed with Tennessee-Chattanooga, but after not qualifying academically because of his ACT score, he was released from his national letter-of-intent and was able to go elsewhere. He has since met the NCAA’s eligibility requirements and is expected to be eligible at Alcorn this fall.
Prairie View, TX - Former Prairie View A&M women's basketball standout Latara Darrett has inked a professional contract overseas with the Italian team CUS Cagliari Pallacanestro.
Darrett was Prairie View A&M's leading scorer in the 2009-10 campaign with 15.7 points while pulling down 6.6 rebounds per outing. She was a five-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Week and a two-time SWAC Player of the Week.
A native of Chino, Calif., the 5-10 guard scored 23 or more points on four occasions with a high of 29 versus Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 25, 2010.
"Latara is an incredible athlete and it was only (a matter of) time when this opportunity would come,” said head coach Toyelle Wilson. “Her passion was always to play professionally. She will do very well in one of the top premier leagues in Italy."
Marshalltown, Iowa - Miko Bernstine describes himself as always being a pretty spiritual guy. Texas Southern University provided the answer to his prayers with an opportunity to play NCAA Division I baseball. The do-everything Marshalltown Community College outfielder Bernstine signed with the Southwestern Athletic Conference school on Friday.
The Des Moines native Bernstine was set to play baseball at Ashford before the opportunity to move from the MCC Tigers to the TSU Tigers arose. "No D-I offers were coming my way. I was getting a lot of offers from NAIA, D-II, stuff like that," Bernstine said before playing in a game Friday in the Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League.
"I just kept praying on it that I would get an offer from a Division I school," he added. Bernstine lead Marshalltown in most offensive categories as he hit .390 with 49 runs scored, 62 hits, five home runs, 42 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Santa Clara, CA - The hits keep coming for the 49ers.
Seventh-round draft pick Curtis Holcomb is likely out for the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon during a conditioning test on Thursday. His agent said that Holcomb, who played at Florida A&M, will have surgery to repair the tendon.
Holcomb was the last of the team's draft picks. He had been training in the Tampa area before flying to California early this week and signing his contract Thursday morning. Another seventh-round pick, fullback Bruce Miller, was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a shoulder injury, although he is expected to be activated in a matter of days. READ MORE
9ers 7th round draft pick Curtis Holcomb ruptured his achilles tendon in practice today, and is likely to miss the rest of the season, per Matt Barrows twitter account. Holcomb will have surgery on Thursday and will face a long recovery from what is one of the more painful and difficult injuries in sports.
Holcomb, at 5'10, 190 lbs was selected with the Niners last pick in this year's Draft, out of Florida A&M, and was looking to secure himself a roster spot. He doesn't lack confidence, and on a recent 49ers conference call, he had this to say about his best skill as a cornerback:
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- If there is one thing Gravelle Craig hated when he was a basketball player, it was slowing the ball down.
Playing one year under Richmond University coach Dick Tarrant's walk-the-ball-up-the-court system seemed like an eternity for the 5-foot-8 point guard. So after his freshman season in 1989, Craig transferred to Cleveland State where coach Kevin Mackey's breakneck running, pressing style was famously dubbed the "Run 'N Stun."
Apparently patience was not Craig's strength as a player. A lot has changed since then. He spent the past seven seasons at Bethune-Cookman as an assistant coach under Clifford Reed. It was only in the past year that he thought it might be time to being looking at NCAA Division II or III head coach openings.
The newly signed $8 million dollar man,
Tarvaris Jackson is expected to be the
starting QB for the Seattle Seahawks.
RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he expects Tarvaris Jackson to be the team's starting quarterback when it opens the season. Carroll made the pronouncement Saturday morning during his first media availability of training camp.
Jackson signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks on Friday. He watched Saturday's practice in shorts and a T-shirt, unable to participate in camp until next Thursday due to rules established in the new collective bargaining agreement.
Carroll says Jackson's familiarity with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell gave the newcomer the edge. Jackson and Bevell worked together in Minnesota from 2006-10. READ MORE
The Seahawks have reached an agreement on a contract with quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, according to a league source. Jackson played the past five seasons in Minnesota, which chose him in the second round of the draft.
Terms of the deal are not known, and he can't sign a contract until Friday, which is the first day transactions may be filed with the league. Jackson, 28, played in Minnesota under Darrell Bevell, who was hired to be Seattle's new offensive coordinator.
The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a deal with Tarvaris Jackson following the news that free-agent quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will not return to Seattle this season, multiple sources told ESPN. Hasselbeck will turn 36 in September. His prior contract was signed before the start of the 2005 season and was followed by him leading the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl appearance.
According to the sources, Jackson's deal is for $8 million over two years, an indication he was brought in to compete for the starting job. His contract matches that of current Seahawks quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who signed a two-year, $8 million contract after being acquired in a trade before last season.
Jackson, Minnesota's second-round pick in 2006, would appear to have an edge in the competition because he has played for current Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell when they were both a part of the Vikings.
Albany, GA - At Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon, (Coach Mike) White announced that last year’s anchor on the offensive line and team captain Mike Mavromichalis, along with fellow offensive lineman Norris Byrd, were both ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season.
Both were named to the All-SIAC Preseason First Team Offense before final grades were released, and White said it was a big disappointment to see the seniors miss out on their final collegiate football season.
“It’s tough anytime you lose guys with three years experience on the line,” White said. “Both of them are seniors and good kids and just didn’t do what they were supposed to do in the classroom. Our team and staff understand where we are at, and our team and staff will have to step up and do the best they can. There is no way you can put guys in there who are going to be Mike or Norris. It’s just not going to happen. We are going to just deal with what we’ve got.”
Ed Graves and the TSU band will perform at the Hall of Fame.
Nashville, TN - Richard Dent did not wait to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame to ask Tennessee State marching band director Ed Graves for a favor. Not long after the former TSU defensive end retired from the NFL in 1997, he informed Graves he wanted the band to be a part of his enshrinement weekend.
“He always said, ‘If I ever get that call I want the band to be there,’” Graves said.
So when Graves saw that Dent was voted into this year’s class, he put a trip to the Aug. 6 ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on the schedule for the 200-member Aristocrat of Bands. TSU’s summer commencement was originally scheduled for next weekend, but the administration delayed it until Aug. 13 so that alumni, students and fans may attend the Hall of Fame festivities.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- The Cowboys announced on Friday that they had signed running back Frank Warren (5-9, 206) from Grambling State University. Warren was the 2010 SWAC Football Offensive Player of the Year and is Grambling State's all-time leading rusher with 3,910 yards. He ranked third in the NCAA last season with 1,592 rushing yards.
Also, signed to undrafted NFL free agent contracts from HBCU Colleges and Universities were:
Atlanta Falcons: Philip Sylvester, RB, Florida A&M University
Baltimore Ravens: Michael Ricks, DB, Stillman College; Eugene Clifford, S, Tennessee State; Walter Sanders, RB, Saint Augustine's College
Chicago Bears: Jordan Miller, Southern University
Cincinnati Bengals: Steven Robinson, HB, Hampton University
Cleveland Browns: Andre Carroll, DL, Delaware State; Sidney Tarver, LB, Tennessee State; Calton Ford, OL, Norfolk State University
Detroit Lions: Brandon Bufford, DB, Howard; DeJuan Fulghum, LB, Texas Southern; Ricardo Silva, DB, Hampton; Narada Williams, DE, Fort Valley State.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jalil Jackson, CB, Jackson State University
Kansas City Chiefs: David Mims, OL, Virginia Union University
Indianapolis Colts: Larrone Moore, WR/KR, Delaware State
Minnesota Vikings: Chris Adingupu, Safety, Prairie View A&M
New England Patriots: Richard Medlin, RB, Fayetteville State University
New York Giants: Ibrahim Abdulai, DT, Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Darnell Burks, DB, Fort Valley State
Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Peguese, LB, Hampton University
Pittsburgh Steelers: Joshua Harrison, OT, South Carolina State University
Seattle Seahawks: Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley State
Saint Louis Rams: Dionte Dinkins, CB, Fort Valley State; Arthur Thomas, DT, Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and Teryl White, DT, North Carolina Central University
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Raymond Webber, WR, Arkansas at Pine Bluff;
Tennessee Titans: Joseph Hills, WR, Tennessee State; Anquez Jackson, G, Alabama A&M University
Washington Redskins: Dante Barnes, CB, Norfolk State;
ALBANY, GA — It’s official — Uyl Joyner will be the offensive coordinator for the Albany State football team. Head coach Mike White, speaking at Friday’s 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception, confirmed the rumors that have been floating around for weeks when he announced Joyner as such.
2010 SIAC MVP QB Stanley Jennings
“He is a good, intelligent football coach,” White said of Joyner. “This will be 28 seasons for me coaching, and the guys who I can call out who I have met who are football smart like that, I can count them on one hand and cut a few fingers off. He is one of those guys who can see and recognize what is happening on the field very quickly.”
The Herald first reported Wednesday that Joyner had been named the Rams’ new O-C after seeing Joyner’s name listed as such in ASU’s information packet at the SIAC Kick-Off luncheon in Atlanta. But White said the listing was made in error and that no final decision had been made, although he added Joyner was “the leading candidate.”
NORFOLK, VA —— Donovan Rose feels more comfortable going into his third season as head coach at Hampton University. He knows, though, that there's an even greater impetus to get things done.
That point was driven home at the Pirates' end-of-the-year athletic banquet as Rose talked with women's basketball coach David Six and men's basketball coach Ed "Buck" Joyner. Six, who has won back-to-back Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament titles in his two seasons as the Lady Pirates' coach, and Joyner, whose Pirates won the MEAC tournament championship this past season in his second year at the helm, were each rewarded with three-year contract extensions in April.
"All three of us came in at the same time," said Rose, a 17-year HU assistant before taking the head job in 2009. "Six won (the conference championship) his first year. Buck won it his second. It's on me now."
Rose's Pirates, who went 6-5 in 2010 after a 5-6 finish in 2009, were picked to finish fourth in the MEAC in 2011 in voting Friday by league coaches and sports information directors.
Fayetteville, N.C. - Robert E. Wilson, a 1976 graduate of Fayetteville State University and the North Carolina Assistant Secretary of State, will headline the Inaugural FSU Champions Gridiron Gala on Sept. 2.
Wilson has been in positions of increasing responsibility with the Secretary of State’s Office for the State of North Carolina since March of 1993. He has also held supervisory positions with the N.C. Department of Corrections and with the Community College system.
“It’s very exciting for me,” Wilson said. “It’s an opportunity to come back home and give back to the University after they’ve given me so much.”
Wilson was the first member of his family to attend college when he left his home town of Wilson, N.C., to enter Fayetteville State University in 1972. He graduated in 1976 with a BA in History. He has also continued his studies at North Carolina State University and Wilson County Technical Institute.
Norfolk, VA - Bethune-Cookman got more first-place votes than any other team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll of head football coaches and sports information directors.
B-CU received eight first-place votes -- two more than the next highest total -- in the poll that was released Friday as part of the conference's football media day in Norfolk, Va. However, the Wildcats totaled 454 points, second to South Carolina State's 468. The Bulldogs received six first-place votes.
Florida A&M, which shared the 2010 MEAC championship with B-CU, was projected to finish third. The Rattlers had five first-place votes and 420 points.
While a preseason No. 2 MEAC ranking might be music to the ears of Wildcats fans, it goes in one ear and out the other for B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins.
Norfolk, VA — People across the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference must be so impressed with the job that new Savannah State football coach Steve Davenport is doing that his squad received a first-place vote in their preseason poll.
Actually, it calls into question whether all the head coaches and sports information directors are taking their vote seriously. The one vote didn't prevent Savannah State from finishing 11th and last in the poll, which seemed warranted considering the Tigers were 1-10 last season for their 13th straight losing record.
But there's no denying Davenport is injecting life into his program. It usually happens with a first-year coach, as everybody tries to impress the new boss.
In the MEAC, multiply that scenario by five. This season, Savannah State and North Carolina Central have joined the conference, one of two in the FCS for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, so nearly half of the 11 programs have new and highly respected head coaches.
Davenport, 43, has arrived at Savannah State from ...
ALBANY, GA — The question marks are there. They are sprinkled throughout the Albany State football team as it inches toward the 2011 season — a year where the Rams will be defending the SBN National Black College Football Championship and SIAC crown.
And how will the team handle a slew of unknowns, including a new offensive coordinator, a depleted offensive line, an inexperienced group of linebackers and a tougher schedule? ASU coach Mike White said Friday that it will happen, but only with hard work — and no excuses.
No Excuses--ASU Rams have to replace superback LiRonnie Davis
“The 2011 season will have a lot of question marks and a lot of new faces,” White said during the 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception at Eula Lovett Hall. “But be sure of one thing: As Albany State Golden Rams, we will battle as hard as we can, and we will leave it on the field. Every time, we are going to leave it out there. Every thing we got will stay on the field. And that’s what we have always been about.”
NORFOLK, Va. — The South Carolina State football team has dominated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, winning league championships in 2008 and ’09 and sharing the crown last season.
That trend will continue, according to league coaches and sports information directors, who predicted the Bulldogs would win the MEAC this season during voting at the conference’s annual press luncheon. It marked the fourth consecutive year the team was picked to win the league.
S.C. State was tabbed as the favorite despite having lost 15 seniors, including 11 starters, from last year’s team.
PRESEASON POLL
As voted by MEAC coaches and sports information directors:
In three short years in the NFL, former
Tennessee State University's DRC
has become a Pro Bowl
caliber cornerback.
Philadelphia, PA - According to reports on July 28, 2011, the Cardinals have traded Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Joe Banner was the guy doing the dirty work of negotiating the Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie trade. However, there's no doubt that GM Howie Roseman was closely involved as well. He met the media for a bit yesterday to give his thoughts on the player the Eagles received in the deal.
"This is a Pro Bowl caliber cornerback and an exciting guy to have on our team." Roseman said, "He's got great ball skills, he's explosive, and he'll fit well with the kind of posture we're going with on defense."
He says that the Eagles have liked DRC ever since scouting him in college.
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Former Alabama A&M offensive tackle Anquez Jackson signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday.
Jackson, a three-year starter and a two-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer for the Bulldogs, started every game during his career for A&M coach Anthony Jones. He helped the Bulldogs reach the 2009 SWAC championship game.
During his Pro Day on March 9, Jackson checked in at 6-foot-3-3/4 and weighed 332 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.3 second and 5.38 seconds, the short shuttle in 5.29 seconds and the three-cone drill in 8.16 seconds. He had a 26-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot-6 broad jump and completed 22 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press.
Birmingham, Ala. - The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its football broadcast schedule Thursday, including a 10-game slate on SWAC TV, the league's internet broadcast site.
The schedule has eight games across ESPN networks, plus national and regional television dates with NBC, Versus, and SportSouth. In all, 21 SWAC games are scheduled to be televised during the 2011 football season.
Note: The tape delayed games on ESPNU can all be seen live on ESPN3.com.
Date Game Time (CT) Network
Sat., Sept. 3 Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State 5 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 3 Alcorn State vs. Grambling 9:30 pm (Tape) ESPNU
Sun., Sept. 4 Prairie View A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman 11 am ESPN
Sat., Sept. 10 Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 10 Jackson State vs. Tennessee State 6 pm SportSouth
Sat., Sept. 17 Jackson State at Southern 6 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Sept. 24 Southern vs. Florida A&M 2:30 pm VERSUS
Sat., Sept. 24 Alabama A&M at Grambling 5 pm SWAC TV
Thur., Sept. 29 Texas Southern at Jackson State 5 or 6:30 pm ESPNU
Sat., Oct. 1 Alcorn State at Alabama State 7 pm SWAC TV
Sat., Oct. 8 Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M 1 pm SWAC TV
PINE BLUFF, Ark.- University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff football players Raymond Webber,Ibrahim Abdulai, and Arthur Thomas have signed free agent contracts with the NFL.
Webber will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Abdulai and Thomas have signed to play for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Rams respectively.
“As a coaching staff we could not be happier to hear the news that Webber, Abdulai, and Thomas will be able to continue their careers in the NFL,” said UAPB head coach Monte Coleman. “All three young men have put in the hard work necessary to achieve their goals and with continued work at improving themselves as players I expect to see all of them heavily contributing on their respective teams in the near future.”
NFL teams are expected to begin training camps in the upcoming days as a deal was reached ending the lockout on Monday.
“I'm excited to get going and for training camp to start,” said UAPB's Webber. “While I was disappointed that I didn't get drafted I knew with hard work and persistence I would get my chance to showcase my abilities at the next level some day.”
For Webber, Abdulai, and Thomas that day has arrived as they headline the list of collegiate football players from HBCU's to sign free agent contracts.
ATLANTA — Albany State’s road to its sixth SIAC football title in the past decade will be a little rockier than normal. Yes, the Rams were named preseason favorites to repeat as conference champions at Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon at Fox Sports Grill in Atlanta.
